Full Moon
by BrandedButterfly
Summary: This is ur usual girls get sent to CGL story. Yeah, it's got some romance & stuff but I think we can handle it. Some of the girls don't like CGL, so they decide they've got to do something about it. COMPLETE
1. Camp Arden

KK, lemme see....this is my first published Holes ficcy, so if it sux, im really sorry. Ummm, i don't own camp lakeway or ne of the characters yadda yadda yadda. I do own camp arden and all the characters you don't know about. Uhhhhh r&r please cuz i could totally use some cirticism!!! KK...um...thanx  
  
Fidget sat cross-legged on her tiny, rickety cot, gnawing away on her fingernails. Since she couldn't sit still long enough to do anything with them, they were chipped and broken and jagged. She was wearing an ugly sleeveless lime green jumpsuit, and her light brown hair was pulled back in double French braids with two white ribbons.  
  
"Don't chew on your nails." Link admonished softly. Everything she did was quiet and gentle. Link didn't look like she belonged at Camp Arden. She was short and pale, with huge watery blue eyes and masses of golden curls. She even looked innocent in the ugly jumpsuit and heavy workboots.  
  
"Yeah, you're making them ugly." Jewel agreed with her best friend. Jewel was pretty tall and black. She had thick black hair almost always pulled back in a messy bun and big chocolate eyes. She had a great figure, and it looked awesome even in the green jumpsuit that was a required part of Camp Arden.  
  
"I think we have more important things to worry about, Jewel." Rogue snapped. Though the youngest member of D Cabin, she was the most aggressive of them all. She was pretty short, but incredibly muscular. She had fanned, shoulder-length chestnut hair that was almost always in a ponytail and dark brown eyes that always looked angry.  
  
Just then, Star walked into the cabin with her two best friends, Apple and Minx, on either side of her.  
  
"What are you guys all waiting around for?" Star asked in surprise. She was the unofficial leader of the cabin, and even Rogue submitted to her authority. "Well, go ahead and take showers."  
  
Fidget scampered out the door, waving her towel wildly around her head as she went. Link and Jewel followed, heads bent and deep in discussion. Rogue went last, walking briskly as though annoyed.  
  
"Do you think they've heard?" Minx asked worriedly. She sank down onto her poor excuse for a bed, reveling in the shade that the cabin roof provided.  
  
"If they haven't, they will have soon." Star sighed heavily. She had her jumpsuit unzipped to her bellybutton, and it hung down. She wore her black sports bra underneath it. She had her bellybutton pierced, but she was only allowed to wear a tiny silver stud in it.  
  
"What do you think they'll do about it?" Apple asked eagerly. She, out of the three best friends, was the most carefree. She was stick thin, without many curves. She had perfectly straight auburn hair that went a little past her shoulders and wide blue eyes framed by blonde lashes.  
  
"Who knows." Star shrugged. She was, by everyone's general opinion, the prettiest girl in D Cabin. She wasn't incredibly tall, but she was slender and had a relatively nice shape. Her hair was white blonde, and she wore it in cornrows halfway down her back. Her eyes were a dark smoky color, and her nose was tiny with a little silver stud in it.  
  
"Who'd have thought it?" Minx said, flopping down onto her back. She was younger than Apple and Star, though only by a year. She was pretty petite, but her long, luscious black hair made up for it. She had a dainty heart- shaped mouth and laughing hazel eyes. "The warden just randomly dying of a heart attack?"  
  
"It wasn't random." Apple said cheerfully, digging around in her locker for her towel so she could go and take a shower. "He's been sick for like, a year!"  
  
"Has it really been that long?" Minx asked in surprise as they left the cabin for the showers.  
  
By dinner, everyone knew about the unexpected death of Martin Lawrence, the warden of Camp Arden. Measures were being taken immediately to find a new warden.  
  
"I hope it's a girl." Jewel said as they lay on their beds that night, trying to go to sleep. "Then she'll understand why we act so crabby one week out of every month."  
  
"And she'll have tampons for us already, so we won't have to go and ask that the camp buys some." Minx agreed, smiling in the darkness.  
  
"C'mon, let's get to sleep." Star said. "We've got another long day of work tomorrow."  
  
But that wasn't true. The bugle didn't go off at five o'clock the next morning like normal. Everyone got to sleep in until eight, when the bugle finally sounded.  
  
Aphrodite, one of the counselors, appeared in the doorway as they all got dressed in their jumpsuits. "Meet in the mess hall." She said shortly, and left.  
  
The seven girls of Cabin D made their way to the mess hall, refreshed and wondering what on earth was going on.  
  
Once all the girls from the camp were assembled at their respective tables in the mess hall, Aphrodite and another counselor, Boxer, got up at the front of the room.  
  
"I'm sure you've all heard about the unfortunate death of the warden," Aphrodite began. She was a gorgeous girl in her mid-twenties; she hadn't liked the warden much so she smiled a little when everyone cheered. "As a result, we've been forced to find another warden. However," She paused. "We couldn't. Most of you probably don't know, but Camp Arden has a male counterpart: Camp Greenlake, in Texas. We've talked with their warden, and we've decided to make the camps co-ed. So hurry and change into street- clothes, pack up what you've got, and line up by cabins in front of the mess hall."  
  
There was an immediate shrieking and talking and babbling as the girls hurried back to their own cabins.  
  
"Co-ed?" Fidget leaped up and down on her cot, struggling to take her jumpsuit off. She nearly fell off on her bed.  
  
"Be careful!" Link warned gently, changing quickly into her clothes and brushing through her hair.  
  
"I can't wait!" Apple said excitedly, tying her worn Nikes on over her ankle socks.  
  
"I can." Link mumbled.  
  
"Me too." Rogue snapped.  
  
"Why?" Minx was appalled.  
  
"Boys are scum." Rogue said sharply. "I hate them all, and I never want to see one again. They're annoying, too."  
  
"I just get so nervous around them." Link said quietly. Jewel gave her a quick hug.  
  
"Hurry up." Star urged, putting her few belongings in her backpack. "Aphrodite will come looking for us in a minute."  
  
"Yeah. Yeah." Fidget nodded quickly, then tripped over her untied shoelaces and landed flat on her face.  
  
"You okay?" Apple asked, pulling her to her feet.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah! I'm great!" Fidget grinned, then hopped impatiently from one foot to the other. "C'mon! C'mon! Let's go!"  
  
They all got in line between Cabin C and Cabin E (the last cabin). Star was first, then it was Minx, Apple, Fidget, Rogue, Jewel, and Link.  
  
"Are you all here?" Boxer asked, coming up with a clipboard in her hand. She quickly checked everyone off on her list. "Good. This is your bus. Get on." The girls climbed onto the bus.  
  
"We get this whole bus to ourselves?" Minx asked Boxer in surprise.  
  
"Of course. Now get on and stop asking stupid questions." Boxer said, holding up her fist. She had a habit of hitting girls when they annoyed her, which gave her her nickname. Minx didn't want to get hit, so she hurried up the steps onto the bus.  
  
Star took one of the seats near the back, taking up a whole seat. Apple and Minx took two seats opposite her. Link and Jewel got up front, whispering to each other with their heads bent over. Rogue sat in the middle of the bus by herself, and immediately took out her CD player and began listening to music. Fidget couldn't sit still; she ran up and down the aisle before she finally sat down across from Rogue and pulled out a coloring book to color in with half-melted crayons that had been hidden under her bed since her arrival at Camp Arden.  
  
The faster you review, the faster i'll put up new chapters!! lol!! does bribery actually work??? O, and luvs to KT who will totally luv this story when she reads it!! 


	2. Meet the boys

Hey, okay gotta correct one of my mistakes from earlier. In chapter one, I said i don't own Camp Lakeway. Well...I don't. It belongs to MunkyMuppet (you should read her story Camp Lakway, it's awesome!!). I was reading it and guess iw as still thinking about it cuz i put lakeway instead of greenlake! Sry!!! Kk, u know i don't own greenlake (or lakeway) or ne of the characters. I do own Camp Arden and my characters. R&R!!!  
  
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It was nine hours and forty-three minutes later when the five buses pulled up to Camp Greenlake, with Aphrodite and Boxer following in Aphrodite's pickup truck.  
  
"Oh my god!" Fidget had long since abandoned her coloring, and there were crayons scattered all over the floor, probably melting.  
  
"Fidget!" Star complained. "Look at all these crayons everywhere!"  
  
"My crayons!" Fidget shrieked, leaping up and gathering them all back into their box. "I'd nearly forgotten about them!"  
  
"How could you?" Apple asked, wrinkling her nose. "This whole bus smells like melting wax now."  
  
"Well excuse me." Fidget rolled her eyes and put her crayons back in her backpack.  
  
"Look at all of the guys." Jewel murmured from the front of the bus.  
  
"But ugh! Look at those ugly orange jumpsuits!" Minx complained. "They're even worse than ours! At least ours are sleeveless."  
  
"I hope we don't have to wear those." Apple agreed.  
  
Link bit her lip. "Can we go back to Arden?" She asked in a small voice. "I'd dig two holes a day instead of one if we could."  
  
"It won't be that bad." Jewel tried to assure Link.  
  
"What do you think, Rogue?" Star asked. Because Rogue was the loner of the group, and the youngest, Star always went out of her way to be nice to her.  
  
"I hate it." Rogue grumbled. Her player had run out of juice hours ago, and she hadn't been able to find her box of extra batteries. "I'm with Link. I think we should turn around and go straight back to Arden."  
  
The bus screeched to a halt.  
  
"Can you see anything important?" Minx asked, pressing her face up against the glass.  
  
"Nah. It's too dirty." Apple complained. "All I can make out is a lot of orange."  
  
"Shhh, maybe we can hear." Jewel suggested. They all pressed their ears up against the glass panes.  
  
"We'll call the girls off by cabins." Boxer was saying. "And we'll check off everyone's name."  
  
"Man, we've got to wait for three cabins!" Fidget complained. "I don't think I can wait that long!"  
  
"Me neither." Rogue agreed. "I've gotta pee really bad."  
  
"Me too." Link said suddenly.  
  
Outside, Boxer finally got to Cabin D.  
  
"You think there'll be any hot ones?" Squid asked X-Ray, chewing on a toothpick. (If nebody knows wut the hell it is that he chews on, please tell me!!! I can't figure out if it's a toothpick or a piece of a straw, or wut! It looks kinda too big to be a toothpick, but not big enough to be a straw, ya know??)  
  
"So far there hasn't been." X-Ray replied glumly. "They're all fat with braces (not that I've got nething against ppl with braces...I've got em too)or way too skinny and ugly."  
  
"Well, here's our tent." ZigZag said.  
  
"Serendipity Miller," Boxer called, reading the names off her list.  
  
"Serendipity?" Squid repeated. "What the hell kind of name is that?"  
  
But when Star stepped off the bus, he couldn't keep his eyes off her. She was wearing tight-fitted jeans, converse chucks, and a black t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Her cornrows were extra shiny in the late afternoon sunlight, and her smoky eyes surveyed all around her with a detached interest.  
  
"Magnolia Wilson," Boxer said next.  
  
"Magnolia? Isn't that a tree?" Magnet demanded. "C'mon man, isn't it?" But when Minx stepped off the bus, he faced the same dilemma Squid had. Minx, wearing a pair of cut-off jean shorts that showed off her tan legs, chucks, and a white tank top, was gorgeous. Her waist-length hair waved in the light breeze before she went to stand next to Star in the Cabin D line.  
  
"Anastasia Tucker," Boxer went on.  
  
"A Russian princess." Twitch whispered excitedly to Zero.  
  
It was ZigZag who delighted in the 'Russian princess'. Apple, with her long legs and short khaki shorts, was a goddess to any long-legged deprived delinquent. Her hair, perfectly straight, shined almost gold. Then she hurried to follow Minx.  
  
"Fox Smith," Boxer said.  
  
"What the hell is with all these funky names?" X-Ray demanded to Squid and Armpit, his two best friends.  
  
Fidget bounded off the bus, nearly tripping over her shoelaces (which of course were still not tied). She regained her balance, her braids shaking, and then she raced off to nearly collide with Apple.  
  
"Reagan Taylor," Boxer said.  
  
Rogue glared as she stepped off the bus, her arms folded crossly over her black t-shirt. Her ponytail bounced as she stomped over to get in line behind Fidget, who still couldn't stop moving.  
  
"Jaidyn Foster," Boxer was nearing the end of her list.  
  
Jewel stepped off the bus. She was wearing the perfect outfit to get attention: a pair of baggy blue jean capris and an incredibly tight yellow tank top.  
  
"And Laken White." Boxer finished.  
  
Link was close to tears as she rushed to get in line behind Jewel. She was wearing her school uniform, a plaid skirt and a white blouse, merely because that's what she'd come to Camp Arden in.  
  
"Well." X-Ray said to his guys. "We didn't get the worst bunch."  
  
"Girls, I am your counselor, Dr. Pendanski." Mom said, leading the girls to their tent (across from the boys). "If you have any questions, just ask me, one of the other counselors, or one of the boys in D Tent. Well, I'll leave you to get settled and change into your new clothes."  
  
"I hate orange." Minx complained, setting her backpack down on her cot. She reluctantly changed into one of her long-sleeved jumpsuits, leaving her hair down. She let the top half of the jumpsuit hang down about her waist, and she wore her white tank top underneath.  
  
"Girls, all the boys are going to dinner," Aphrodite stuck her head in the tent and said. "Hurry up and go."  
  
"Kay." Star replied. "C'mon girls." And she led the way to the mess hall. They got in line, got their food, and looked for a place to sit.  
  
"D Tent!" X-Ray yelled, waving them over. "Over here!"  
  
"This way." Jewel said, blushing slightly as her eyes landed on X-Ray. They all came over and sat down at the table among the boys.  
  
"Hey, I'm X-Ray." He introduced himself. "This is Squid, Armpit, ZigZag, Magnet, Twitch, and Zero."  
  
"Interesting names, we know. But they're nicknames." Armpit said. "We thought your names were pretty weird too."  
  
"What? Serendipity, Anastasia, Magnolia, Fox, Reagan, Jaidyn, and Laken?" Star rolled her eyes. "Those aren't our real names. I'm Star. This is Apple, Minx, Fidget, Rogue, Jewel, and Link."  
  
"So you've already got nicknames?" ZigZag asked, glancing at Apple out of the corner of his eye. "Man, we were looking forward to giving you nicknames."  
  
"We're not men." Minx said matter-of-factly. She was pushing her food around her tray with her fork, but then she began examining her nails; they were painted satiny-black.  
  
"Definitely not." Magnet said. He said it under his breath, but everyone heard him. Minx blushed.  
  
"So, did you know that you have to dig holes every day?" Twitch asked excitedly, his eyes darting from one face to another, though they lingered on Fidget.  
  
"Of course we did." Fidget replied, equally excited. "We had to dig holes back at Arden too, ya know!"  
  
"How deep?" Squid asked.  
  
"Five by five." Jewel said.  
  
"Feet?" X-Ray asked.  
  
"No, centimeters!" Rogue snapped, her first words of the evening. "Of course feet, you dork!"  
  
Everyone fell silent, and Rogue stared moodily at her untouched dinner.  
  
"Don't mind her," Fidget giggled. "She'd always in a bad mood!"  
  
"Shut up!" Rogue snapped.  
  
"Leave her alone, Fidget." Link said softly, her first words as well. Rogue glared at Link as though to say 'I don't need your support', so Link fell silent.  
  
"Star, do you think the warden will be prepared for what we were talking about last night?" Minx asked. Star was staring into space, not listening to a word. She hadn't touched her food either. "Hey Star! Star!" Minx sighed and turned to Apple. "Should I?" She asked, grinning.  
  
"Oh, you should." Apple nodded vigorously, a wicked grin spreading across her face.  
  
"Hey Madonna!" Minx said loudly. Star jerked out of her musing, glaring at Minx.  
  
"You better run if you value your life!" She growled through clenched teeth.  
  
"Madonna." Squid chuckled.  
  
"Shut up, ALAN." Star snapped.  
  
"How the hell did you know my name?" He wanted to know.  
  
"I know these things." She glared angrily at him. "Five.four.three.two. one!" Minx leaped to her feet and raced out the door, throwing her tray into the bin. Star followed her at top speed, also hurling her tray into the bin.  
  
They all showered that night and went to their tent to sleep.  
  
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Kay, so wut'd u think of my second chapter??? I went ahead and psoted this one just because I had it done lol! And congrats to my marching band for being 2nd in the state with only 31 members, including guard and drum major!! Go us!! 


	3. Star's past

Kay, thank u sooo much DSCutie for reviewing, it totally made my day!! Kay, i don't own camp greenlake and so on and so forth. I do own camp arden and blah blah blah. Oh, and Apple is my friend Emily so luv her to death!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In the morning, the bugle sounded at four-thirty.  
  
"Oh my god." Rogue pulled a pillow over her face.  
  
"At Arden we got to sleep until five!" Link complained. Even she had forgotten her manners in the early morning.  
  
"C'mon." Star said, pushing back her thin sheet and pulling her orange jumpsuit up. She let the top half hang down, wearing a black sports bra underneath like usual. She pulled her cornrows back underneath a black bandanna.  
  
"Ya think they serve breakfast in this hell-hole?" Apple asked, stifling a huge yawn.  
  
"God, I hope so." Jewel replied sleepily, rubbing her eyes. She was wearing a red Atticus t-shirt underneath her jumpsuit.  
  
They got in line with the D Tent boys for shovels and tortillas dipped in honey.  
  
"Ready for a long day of work?" X-Ray asked.  
  
"God no." Jewel replied quickly. "We hated it at Arden, and we're gonna hate it now."  
  
"Anybody willing to give piggy-back rides?" Minx asked, leaning her head against the wall and trying to go back to sleep.  
  
"I will." Magnet offered. "If somebody will carry our shovels."  
  
"I will." ZigZag said.  
  
"I'll carry Minx's." Apple said quickly.  
  
"Oh my god, you're a doll." Minx murmured as Magnet hoisted her up onto his back. He was strong, even though he was only fifteen.  
  
"Hey, you want a piggy back ride?" Armpit offered Link. Link blushed incredibly  
  
"No thanks." She mumbled, then she hurried to catch up with Jewel.  
  
It was noon before Aphrodite came around with lunch in her truck. They all sat down by their holes to eat.  
  
Zero and Rogue were the first two done. Zero offered to walk back with her, but Rogue stalked past him with her nose stuck in the air.  
  
Star, Jewel, X-Ray, and Squid all got done about the same time. They slung their shovels over their shoulders and headed back toward the camp.  
  
"You guys gonna head to the rec-room?" X-Ray asked as they walked.  
  
"Are you gonna be there?" Jewel asked, blushing and smiling flirtatiously.  
  
"Well.yeah." X-Ray didn't get it. Obviously he'd been away from girls for too long.  
  
"Then I'll come." She smiled again. X-Ray still didn't get it, but he smiled back.  
  
"You comin'?" He asked Star.  
  
"Huh?" She hadn't been paying attention again. Her mind was.elsewhere. "Nah, I don't think so."  
  
"Why?" Squid asked, gnawing away on another toothpick.  
  
"It doesn't matter to you." Star sneered. Her earrings, which lined both ears all the way up, glittered in the afternoon sunlight.  
  
"I didn't say it did!" Squid snapped.  
  
"Ugh!" Star threw up her hands in disgust and disappeared into her tent to retrieve her towel so she could go shower. (The girls had separate showers now, which were closed in. Boxer was set to watch from the window of one of the cabins, and she'd already taught a lot of boys a lesson about peeping- toms.)  
  
That evening at dinner, they all talked non-stop. Even Link contributed some to the conversation. Rogue still remained silent, but nobody really expected her to change.  
  
"So how was your first hole?" Twitch asked, blinking furiously.  
  
"How many times do we have to tell you? It wasn't our first holes!" Fidget sighed exasperatedly. Then she looked at him. "Do you have something in your eye?"  
  
"What about you, Star?" Magnet asked.  
  
"Huh?" Star looked up, totally out of it.  
  
"What's with you?" Apple wanted to know. "You've been acting strangely all day, even all week!"  
  
Minx elbowed Apple hard in the stomach. "C'mon Apple! You know what's going on!" She hissed.  
  
"Is it that time of the month?" Jewel asked Minx in a whisper.  
  
"God no!" Minx replied, shaking her head. "It's a sad anniversary."  
  
"Oh my god!" Apple suddenly clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. "Oh my god, Star! I'm so sorry! I forgot!"  
  
Star stood up. Her face was placid, but she was about to cry. "I'm going to go back to the tent." She said softly. She put away her tray and walked back to the tent.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
Star was sitting on her best friend Jordan's bed. Jordan was sitting with her back against the headboard, her knees drawn up to her chest, and tears streaming down her face.  
  
"What did that jerk do to you?" Star demanded to know. "God, Jordan, did he hurt you?"  
  
"H-he raped me!" Jordan finally burst out.  
  
"God." Star bit her lip. She'd tried to warn Jordan that Trent was the kind of guy who did that, but she hadn't wanted to listen. "Did you tell the cops?"  
  
"Oh no, I could never do that!" Jordan reached out and put a hand on Star's arm. "Promise me you won't tell the police! Promise me Serendipity!"  
  
"I promise." Star agreed reluctantly.  
  
A week later, Star was coming home from school. Jordan went to private school while Star when to public, so they never got to see each other during the day. On the way home, Star always stopped by Jordan's house to chat and see how each other's day had gone.  
  
This time, when she reached Jordan's apartment, she was greeted with police and a very upset Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds.  
  
"What happened?" Star tried to ask, but they shooed her away. She ran home and turned on the news.  
  
Jordan's body had been found that morning down by the river. She'd been raped and then beaten to death. The police had no leads.  
  
But Star did.  
  
She found Trent the next evening, walking home from the movie theater by himself. He'd put up a show for the camera -he was Jordan's boyfriend afterall- but Star knew it was all fake.  
  
She took out her knife and stabbed him to death. She was lugging him down to the river to dump his body in when a little girl from down the street wandered by, returning from the mall with a girlfriend. The two little girls shrieked and ran off.  
  
Star was arrested the next day.  
  
Her trial had been brief and concise. She'd tried to explain that Trent had murdered Jordan, but they said that she should have come to the police. She explained that the cops could never punish Trent enough for what he'd done, but they seemed to disagree.  
  
So she'd been sentenced to two and a half years at Camp Arden.  
  
**End flashback** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, so how'd u like it??? See that little purple button down there that's just calling to you...beckoning to you to push it? Go ahead, you know you want to!! lol! r&r pleaz!! 


	4. Some new kids

Hey, thanks so much for reviewing!!! It totally makes my day lol!! I'm gonna keep posting pretty frequently because i have nothing to do after school since marching band season is over (except on tuesdays and thursdays because that's when winterguard practice is)!! So keep checking back for more updates!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next morning, they were all a little bit more adapted to thirty minutes less sleep. Star was still slightly upset, even though the anniversary of Jordan's death was over.  
  
"You okay?" Minx asked gently as they all headed to the Library to get shovels and breakfast.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Star assured her, though she wasn't sure she was.  
  
"You want another piggy-back ride?" Magnet offered as they got their shovels.  
  
"Oh my god! Yes!" Minx agreed readily, thrusting her shovel into Apple's hands and jumping onto his back.  
  
When the girls got back to their tent that afternoon after digging, they found a girl waiting for them in their tent.  
  
She was of normal height, with short fanned black hair and very dark eyes which were covered in black makeup. Her nails were painted black, and she wore dark red lipstick. She wore a skull necklace around her slender neck, even though she'd changed into her orange jumpsuit.  
  
"Oh my god!" Jewel shrieked, rushing to give the girl a hug. "Kitty! Oh my god!"  
  
The corners of Kitty's mouth turned up, which seemed to be a huge grin for her. Her dark eyes lightened a little bit. "Hey Jewel." She replied. Her voice was deep yet feminine at the same time.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Jewel demanded.  
  
"Got kicked out of Camp Wilkes." Kitty shrugged.  
Jewel turned to the other girls. "This is Belladonna Michaels." She explained "AKA Kitty. We used to go to Camp Wilkes together before I got sent to Camp Arden. Kitty, this is Star, Minx, Apple, Fidget, Rogue, and Link."  
  
Kitty merely nodded, her dark hair gorgeous.  
  
"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're here!" Jewel cried ecstatically.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Star said politely. She hoped the new girl wouldn't give her trouble; things worked out very harmoniously with her as leader and she didn't want anybody to threaten that.  
  
"I like your hair." Apple complemented. She, too, was trying to be polite.  
  
"Well, we're gonna go take a shower now." Minx said, sniffing and wrinkling her nose. "We all stink!"  
  
"Speak for yourself!" Rogue disagreed mildly, her first regular statement of their stay at Camp Greenlake.  
  
"Okay then, I smell bad." Minx corrected herself, picking up her towel. "And some of you don't smell so good either. I say we all go shower."  
  
"I'm with Minx." Apple agreed. "I've been sweating like a pig all day long!"  
  
"Sweating?" Fidget exclaimed incredulously. "You have like no body fat at all! How could you sweat?"  
  
"It's still hot!" Apple declared defensively. (that's one of the bad things about the world we live in: you get made fun of if you're overweight, and you also get made fun of if you're underweight!)  
  
"I'm sure you'll like it here." Star said to Kitty, also picking up her towel. "We'll be back in a little while." And she left for the showers with minx, Apple, Fidget, and Rogue.  
  
"Do you want me to stay here with you?' Jewel offered her friend.  
  
"Nah. That black-haired chick was right. You don't smell too good. Go shower." Kitty said. "I'll be fine here. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."  
  
"Okay then." Jewel shrugged. "See you later. C'mon Link." And the two of them followed the rest of the group toward the showers.  
  
At dinner, the D Tent girls took Kitty to the mess hall and they went through the line.  
  
"Oh my god. Do they actually expect us to eat this.whatever it is?" Kitty demanded, holding her tray out as though the globs of "food" were going to come alive at any moment and devour her, orange jumpsuit and all.  
  
"It's not so bad once you get used to is." Apple lied.  
  
"Uh huh. Right." Kitty rolled her eyes. Then she surveyed the room before her. "Do we have a seating chart?"  
  
"We have to sit with our tents, but there's no actual this-person-has-to- sit-here type of thing." Fidget explained breathlessly. "Yeah, yeah!"  
  
They sat down at the table with the boys.  
  
There was a new boy there as well. He wasn't as tall as ZigZag or Squid, but he was taller than Twitch and Zero. He had curly brown hair and a strange look on his face.  
  
"Who's the new chick?" X-ray demanded as they all took their seats.  
  
"This is Belladonna." Jewel explained. Star would have normally made the introduction, but Jewel decided this was a special occasion since she already knew Kitty.  
  
"Is there a reason for the nickname?" ZigZag asked, looking at Apple and then back to Kitty.  
  
"That's my real name." She said coolly.  
  
"Her nickname is Kitty." Link added in quickly, softly.  
  
"Oh." ZigZag's mouth made a small O of surprise.  
  
"So what are you in for, Kitty?" X-Ray asked.  
  
"I'd rather not say." Kitty replied coldly, her dark eyes icy as she surveyed what she considered a bad crop of boys sitting around her. "I'm not very hungry. I think I'll go back to the tent." And she left.  
  
"Did I say something wrong?" ZigZag wanted to know.  
  
"Nah, she's just anti-social." Jewel explained quickly. She didn't want people to get the wrong impression of her friend; Kitty was, afterall, a very nice person once you got to know her.  
  
"Well so is Rogue, but she doesn't go stomping off at every meal." Fidget pointed out.  
  
"Hey!" Rogue complained good-naturedly.  
  
"You know, that's the first time I haven't heard you snap." Squid said, laughing.  
  
"Well you're not always around her." Star said nastily.  
  
Squid sneered at her. "How do you know? Rogue and I could be having some kind of secret affair and I could know a lot more than you think!"  
  
"But you're not, right?" Zero demanded quickly, looking worried. X-Ray arched his eyebrows in question, and Zero blushed.  
  
"Of course we're not!" Rogue threw up her hands in disgust. "Ugh!" Star didn't think it was THAT disgusting.  
  
"Well I was only using it as an example." Squid snapped.  
  
"C'mon man, don't let her get to you like that." Armpit murmured. "She's just doing it to annoy you."  
  
"And it's working." Squid muttered.  
  
"I am not doing ANYTHING just to annoy you." Star said firmly, her mouth pressed in a thin line. "I wouldn't take the trouble to go out of my way to do that."  
  
"That didn't even make any sense!" Squid snapped angrily.  
  
"Yes it did." Minx quickly came to her best friend's rescue. Not that Star really needed rescuing though.  
  
"It made sense to me, man." Magnet added in.  
  
"Whatever." Squid got up to his feet. "I'm gonna go back. Anybody coming?"  
  
"I'll come." Armpit offered.  
  
"C-can I walk with you guys?" Link asked tentatively. Armpit looked as though he couldn't have planned better himself.  
  
"Sure!" He agreed readily.  
  
"Thanks." Link revealed a small smile, which lit up her pretty blue eyes like a light bulb.  
  
"So who's the new guy?" Apple asked, trying to turn the conversation aruond.  
  
"Him? This is Stanley." X-Ray introduced. "His nickname is Caveman."  
  
"Hi Caveman." Apple smiled flirtatiously. "I'm Apple."  
  
When Link returned to the tent (after saying goodnight to Armpit and Squid) she found Kitty sitting on her bed, writing in a black velvet-covered book. Kitty stopped writing when Link entered, then resumed when Link set about changing for bed.  
  
"What are you writing?' Link asked politely, buttoning up her knee-length cotton nightgown. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."  
  
"It's poetry." Kitty replied. "I don't mind telling you. You can read some if you like, but you'd probably not like it."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure it's very good!" Link said quickly.  
  
"It's not that," Kitty said. "It's kind of dark and.I dunno, you don't seem like the kind of person who'd like it."  
  
"You're right." Link agreed, tying her hair back. "Dark things scare me. That's why I have to have my teddy-bear." She picked up the worn chocolate- colored bear sitting on her cot. It had a pink ribbon tied in a bow around it's neck.  
  
"You have a teddy-bear too?" Kitty asked in surprise. She bent down and retrieved another stuffed bear from her backpack. This one was black and missing one eye. It had a blood-red ribbon tied around it's neck.  
  
"Mine's name is Yogi, from the cartoon." Link explained, sitting down on the edge of Kitty's cot. Kitty scooted down to make room.  
  
"Mine's name is Benedict Arnold," She said, holding the black bear in her lap along with her black book. "After the American Traitor during the Revolutionary War."  
  
"Why on earth would you name a comfort object that?" Link asked, surprising even herself with her amount of openness. She'd never had the nerve to be so friendly to anybody when she first met them. She supposed it had to do with the fact that Kitty and Jewel were already friends.  
  
"I dunno. I called him that one day and it stuck." Kitty shrugged. Just then the tent flap opened and Star came in. She stopped and looked at Kitty and Link. Kitty was also in her pajamas: a long black nightshirt with the sleeves ripped off.  
  
"What is this, a pajama party?" She demanded crossly.  
  
"What's with you?" Kitty demanded.  
  
"She's been fighting with Squid." Minx sighed heavily, following Star with Apple right behind her.  
  
"Again!" Apple added quickly.  
  
"Is there an unspoken attraction?" Kitty asked with a sly smile as Star pulled on her black t-shirt over her knee-length black basketball shorts to sleep in.  
  
"Hell no!" Star said savagely, and there was such vehemence in her tone that they knew she meant it. "He's a jerk, and I never want to see him again. I'm beginning to think that Rogue and Link were right. We should go back to Camp Arden."  
  
"Oh, I don't think that anymore." Link replied, still sitting on Kitty's got.  
  
"Oh you don't?" Minx asked with arched eyebrows. She pulled on her short cotton nightgown with spaghetti straps. It was pink, and set off her hair brightly. "And why is that?"  
  
"Well.I dunno." Link blushed deep red.  
  
"I think I do." Apple grinned. "I think somebody's got a crush!"  
  
"I do not!" Link protested, but she blushed even more.  
  
"Who's got a crush?" Jewel demanded, coming in with Fidget and Rogue. "And on who?"  
  
"Link's got a crush on somebody." Minx explained gleefully, pulling her hair back off her face.  
  
"But we don't know who." Apple added.  
  
"Oh, who is it Link?" Jewel pressed, sitting down next to her on Kitty's bed. The poor cot looked like it was close to collapsing. "C'mon, you can tell me! I'm your best friend!"  
  
"I don't have a crush on anybody!" Link replied adamantly, holding Yogi in her lap. "I've just gotten used to it here and I think I like it."  
  
"But Link." Jewel complained.  
"Tell us! Tell us!" Fidget demanded, trying to get her orange jumpsuit off. She fell over a cot and landed on her head on the other side.  
  
"There's nothing to tell!" Link insisted.  
  
"C'mon, girls." Star said, standing by the light-switch. "We've got a long day ahead of us, especially Kitty. Let's get some sleep."  
  
"Okay." They all agreed, mostly because they were dead-tired.  
  
They all climbed into their cots, pulling the sheets up around them. Star turned off the light switch, then made her way down the tent to her cot. She climbed in bed and tried to go to sleep.  
  
But despite how tired she was, she couldn't fall asleep. She kept thinking about Squid -though she didn't like him- and the song "I'm Just a Girl" by No Doubt kept running through her head.  
  
She finally fell into a deep sleep, not dreaming anything. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay, keep reviewing!! Make a poor little fanfiction writer happy! lol!! Kay, r&r!! 


	5. Fidget's confession

Okay, keep reviewing and I'll keep posting!!  
  
Kitty was the first one up the next morning, much to everyone's surprise. She had her short hair pulled back under a white bandanna and backwards white visor and was tying her boots when the bugle sounded.  
  
"How can you get up so early?" Apple demanded, yawning. She had a big mouth, with perfect teeth. She'd slept on her hair funny, so it stuck out in one direction.  
  
"I dunno. I wasn't very tired last night." Kitty shrugged.  
  
"Yeah, SHE didn't have to dig a hole." Minx said enviously, pulling her hair back in a high ponytail and tying it with a hot pink ribbon that matched the tank top she was wearing.  
  
"I like digging holes." Fidget said, bouncing up and down and trying to shove her foot into one of her boots. "It gives me something to do with the day!"  
  
"Yeah, and you were sent here for being insane." Rogue cracked. Everyone smiled.  
  
"Well what if I was?" Fidget demanded, suddenly getting angry. She stood with her hands on her hips and only one boot on.  
  
"C'mon Fidget, we were just playing." Star said. "And besides, you weren't. We all know that you got sent here for stealing from a candy shop."  
  
"Hmph." Fidget snorted, angrier than any of them had ever seen her before. She shoved her foot into her other boot and stomped out of the tent.  
  
"What's with her?" Link asked in a worried voice.  
  
"I dunno." Jewel shrugged. "I think she's just grumpy. She'll be over it by lunchtime. You mark my words."  
  
But Fidget was not over it by lunchtime. She was, in fact, even angrier than before (if that was possible). She sat by her hole, her back to everyone else, and ate her lunch.  
  
"What's wrong with Fidget?" X-Ray asked as they sat in a large cluster, eating the sandwiches Aphrodite had brought them.  
  
"We're not really sure." Jewel admitted, glancing uneasily at Fidget's hunched over form.  
  
"Rogue called her crazy this morning, and she took it to heart or something." Apple explained. She patted down her hair. Even though it was in a ponytail, it looked funky because of the bump she'd made sleeping on it.  
  
Twitch determinedly stood up, picked up his lunch, and walked over to where Fidget was sitting. He sat down next to her.  
  
"I don't think you're crazy." He told her. She gave him a small smile, and it was only half-forced.  
  
"Thanks." She mumbled.  
  
After dinner, the girls all returned to their tent. Fidget hadn't accompanied them to dinner, claiming to be not hungry. They had expected to find her waiting back in the tent, maybe listening to Rogue's cd player, but she wasn't.  
  
"Where could she be?" Rogue asked, concerned. Though she wasn't overly friendly to anybody, Fidget was the closest friend she had at camp.  
  
"I dunno." Star murmured, her cornrows framing her face in a white-blonde wave. "I'm really starting to get worried. She's been upset all day."  
  
"I didn't mean to say anything mean." Rogue looked furious with herself.  
  
"It's not your fault." Link assured her, her golden braid falling over her shoulder. "She's probably just out taking a shower. She'll show up in a few minutes."  
  
Thirty minutes later found them all sitting around the tent doing various things. Star, Apple, and Minx were playing a game of 'Spoons' with rocks they had collected while digging. Rogue was listening to her cd player. Link was coloring in a coloring book with a set of markers. Jewel and Kitty were sitting cross-legged on Kitty's bed, looking through her black book of poetry.  
  
"Hey, are you guys decent?" X-Ray asked, coming up to the tent flap.  
  
"Yeah." Jewel replied, but she looked like she almost wished she wasn't. The flap opened and X-Ray came inside. "What's up?"  
  
"You guys haven't seen Twitch, have you?" He asked, looking around their tent with interest. There were bras draped over beds, little packages of tampons in the crates, and makeup scattered about. "He didn't come to dinner, and he's not in our tent."  
  
"Oh my god! He's missing too?" Apple nearly shrieked, knocking her cards off the cot they were playing on.  
  
"Too?" X-Ray demanded, quickly losing interest in the girly items sitting around. "Who else is missing?"  
  
"Fidget." Star explained, taking charge. Rogue paused her cd player to listen. "She disappeared after we got back from digging, didn't come to dinner, and we haven't seen her at all."  
  
"Maybe they're together." Kitty suggested mildly, her book open on her lap and a pen poised thoughtfully over the page.  
  
"Fidget and Twitch?" X-Ray made a face.  
  
"It does make sense." Minx pointed out. "I mean, they make such a cute couple."  
  
"And they like each other too." Apple agreed. "I mean, it's SO obvious."  
  
"No, Fidget wouldn't do anything like that." Rogue spoke up. Her eyes were dark. "She wouldn't go spend the entire evening with him, even if she does like him."  
  
"We didn't say she was sleeping with him." Apple said irritably. "Maybe they're just talking."  
  
She was right on the mark. As soon as Fidget had gotten back and showered, she'd returned to the tent. Everyone else was in the rec-room, so she'd sat down on her cot and pulled out her coloring book and now-hardened crayons. Twitch had come to the tent flap shortly afterwards, and invited her to talk.  
  
Now they were sitting out behind the mess hall in the dark, looking at the stars far above them.  
  
"So is there a reason you got so angry when they said you were insane?" Twitch asked, being still for probably the only time in his life. Fidget's lips tightened and she frowned. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."  
  
"No, it's okay." Fidget said quickly, her face lightening a little. "I need to tell somebody.at least sometime."  
  
"Thanks." Twitch smiled. He was really glad that she had chosen to confide in him instead of Rogue, who was her closest girl friend.  
  
"Well, I told everyone that I got busted for stealing like eighty cartons of pixie sticks," Fidget began. "But that's not what happened at all. Well, I guess it kind of is. I was stealing them at like, midnight. I'd been stealing them for nearly a month. There had never been a guard before, but there was that night and he scared me. So I-I killed him." She bit her lip, trembling. Twitch had the urge to hug her and hold her close, but he refrained.  
  
"Is that why you got sent here?" He asked instead, gently.  
  
"Sort of." Fidget shrugged her shoulders, regaining her composure slightly. "I told the cops that it was an accident, but they didn't believe me. But when I was hooked up to a lie detector at the police station, it said that I was telling the truth, or what I thought was the truth. So they thought I was crazy. They couldn't technically prove it, so I got sent here under theft. They left the entire murder thing out of it."  
  
"So is that why you're always so hyper?" Twitch asked, a small smile playing on his lips. "Because you ate eighty cartons of pixie sticks?"  
  
Fidget giggled. "No, I've always been this way. It was a miracle that I didn't get caught before then." Then she stopped, and there was a long pause. "Do you think any less of me because I killed somebody?"  
  
"No." Twitch's answer was instantaneous. "I like you just the same as I did before, and that's a lot."  
  
Fidget's face glowed red, even in the darkness. "Thanks." She mumbled.  
  
Back in the boys' tent, all the girls and guys had gathered.  
  
"I don't care what they're doing," Star said firmly. "We have to find them. Let's split up into groups."  
  
"X-Ray, will you be my partner?" Jewel asked sweetly. X-Ray, who STILL was oblivious to all her flirting, nodded his head.  
  
"Ummmmm Kitty?" ZigZag asked politely. "Do you want to be my partner?"  
  
Kitty looked at him for a long time. Then she smiled one of her rare smiles. "Sure." She replied.  
  
"Hey chica, you wanna partner with me?" Magnet asked Minx. Minx glanced worriedly at Star, who nodded.  
  
"Sure!" She squeaked, then blushed bright red (almost matching the ribbon that was still in her hair).  
  
"Do you mind if I partner with Caveman?" Apple asked Star in a low voice.  
  
"You like him. Go ahead. I don't mind." Star assured her friend.  
  
"But then you can't be with either me or Minx." Apple said.  
  
"It's not like we're marrying our partners." Star laughed. "We only have to spend half an hour at the most with them."  
  
"Thanks." Apple grinned.  
  
Once they'd been split into their respective groups, it left Star and Squid to be partners. Though Star didn't say so out loud, she regretted telling Apple to be Caveman's partner.  
  
She huffily left the tent. "Hey slow down!" Squid snapped. "It's not like I'm exactly thrilled to be your partner, you know."  
  
"Ha." Star spat. "Let's just find Fidget and Twitch and get this over with."  
  
"Why do you have to be such a bitch all the time?" Squid demanded angrily. Star stopped and whirled around to face him.  
  
"Excuse me?" She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. He opened his mouth as though to say something else, but she held up her hand to stop him. "No. Just don't talk to me." She snapped.  
  
It was Minx and Magnet who finally found Fidget and Twitch. They'd been trying to find a good makeout spot and stumbled across their friends by accident.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" Minx blurted out, quickly letting go of Magnet's hand and blushing deep red again.  
  
"Talking." Fidget replied, looking up at the dark silhouettes outlined in the sky. Then she looked suspicious. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Minx blushed crimson, so Magnet quickly said, "Looking for you of course. C'mon. We've been worried."  
  
"Worried? About us?" Fidget seemed amazed. Then she allowed herself a small smile. "That's nice."  
  
"Of course we were worried." Minx said airily, recovering her wits. She pulled Fidget to her feet. "Come on, let's go."  
  
"We found them!" Magnet announced as they neared the tent. Everyone came rushing back, Star and Squid included.  
  
"Where were you guys?" "What were you doing?" "You didn't do anything bad, did you?" (that was from Link)  
  
"We were just talking." Fidget insisted.  
  
"Well I'm gonna go to bed." Kitty announced, shaking her thick hair back. "I'm dead-tired."  
  
"Are you sure you're not just dead?" Jewel whispered under her breath, and Kitty almost smiled.  
  
"I'm gonna go to bed too." Jewel agreed. She was put-out. X-Ray had to be the stupidest guy alive, or at least at Camp Greenlake.  
  
One by one they split up and went to their separate tents.  
  
"Are you okay, Fidget?" Rogue asked as they all got ready for bed, changing into their pajamas and putting things away. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it this morning."  
  
"I'm fine." Fidget insisted. "I had a nice long talk with Twitch, and I'm all better now. Thanks for apologizing though." She added. Rogue smiled.  
  
They all slept a little bit better that night.  
  
Okay, I just wanted to say I'm sorry to all those people who knew and loved Nick. I didn't know him personally, but I know everyone who did loved him a lot. It makes you wonder that if he knew how much he was loved, would he still have blown his head off???  
  
Sorry, kinda morbid I know, but it was a big deal at school. I feel sooo sorry for everyone who knew him.  
  
Kay, enough stuff about death, right? R&R pleazzzz it means the world to me!! 


	6. The plans

Okay.... I really want reviews!!!! So come on and review!!!!! Even if it's a flame!!!! Pleazzzzze!!  
  
If you've ever noticed, women who hang out together usually get their periods at the same time of the month. Well, this week was D Tent's turn.  
  
"I am NOT getting up." Apple declared, pulling her pillow over her face and attempting to suffocate herself with it. "I don't care what they do to me."  
  
"Oh stop being a baby and get up!" Rogue snapped, yanking her hair into a ponytail so tightly that it hurt.  
  
"Leave her alone!" Minx yelled, hurling a pillow at Rogue with all her might.  
  
"Don't throw things at me!" Rogue screamed.  
  
"Stop fighting!!" Fidget shrieked at the top of her lungs, covering her ears with her hands.  
  
"I'll throw whatever the hell I want to!" Minx declared, standing up to her full height (which wasn't very tall).  
  
"You better take it back!" Rogue said in a dangerous voice.  
  
"What if I don't?" Minx prodded angrily.  
  
"I'll-" Rogue held up her fist to imply what she meant.  
  
"Oh grow up, all of you!" Star snapped impatiently. "Just get dressed. No matter how much you take out your anger on everybody else, we STILL have to dig a deep hole in the hot sun."  
  
Since Star was right, they all reluctantly got dressed and walked grumpily toward the Library.  
  
"You okay?" Twitch asked Fidget as they walked toward their digging site, their shovels slung over their shoulders.  
  
"No." Fidget declared angrily, staring crossly at the ground in front of her.  
  
"What happened?" Twitch wanted to know.  
  
"Nothing! Go away!" She yelled, taking a swing at him with her shovel. Twitch scurried away.  
  
Indeed, all the boys noticed that the girls were much crabbier than usual. They tried to find out what was going on, but all they ever got in reply were threats, shoves, or screams.  
  
By the time the lunch truck had come, Link was in tears. She sat down with her half-eaten lunch in her hands and began to wail. Jewel and Fidget began to sniffle too, and before long, all the girls were crying uncontrollably.  
  
"What's wrong?" X-Ray asked, so startled that he'd nearly dropped his sandwhich into the dirt.  
  
"I hate it here!" Link screamed in an uncharacteristically sour voice. She jumped up and kicked at all the piles of dirt. "I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!"  
  
"I can't dig another hole!" Fidget hiccuped between sobs, cradling her raw hands in her arms. She'd dug many holes before, but it didn't make it any easier. "I just can't!"  
  
"I get freaking deformed shovels that won't dig!" Apple declared, her tears making streaks down her dirty face.  
  
"I won't stay here any longer." Minx declared, wiping her tears on the sleeve of her pale pink Tinker Bell fitted T-shirt.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Magnet asked in a worried voice.  
  
"What else can we do?" Star demanded. She had stopped crying, but her voice was shaky now.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" ZigZag demanded in a low voice, glancing around uneasily.  
  
"Come to our tent after dinner and we'll explain everything." Apple said. Then the girls all picked up their shovels and resumed digging as though nothing had happened.  
  
"Why the hell did God make girls?" Squid asked X-Ray in disgust, picking up his shovel and jabbing at the side of his hole with it.  
  
"To make us happy." X-Ray replied, grinning. Squid grinned back too, but he couldn't help thinking about Star did NOT make him happy...  
  
The girls, due to their anger and excess energy, were the done before any of the boys. They returned in a silent, determined group and went to the showers.  
  
"X-Ray is a complete idiot." Jewel complained. There were only four showers, and Star, Apple, Minx, and Rogue had taken them immediately. Fidget, Link, Kitty, and Jewel were waiting with their towels outside the door.  
  
"What do you mean?" Kitty asked, her towel folded neatly over her tanned arms.  
  
"I've been flirting with him like crazy, and he hasn't gotten the idea yet." Jewel groaned. "He's just SO clueless!"  
  
"Well, he IS a guy." Fidget pointed out, a tiny smile on her face. "You can't expect TOO much from him."  
  
"What about you and Twitch?" Link asked gently, smiling prettily.  
  
Fidget blushed. "Twitch and I are friends, that's all." She explained, but none of them believed her.  
  
"You like him!" Jewel accused.  
  
"Well, maybe just a little." Fidget used her thumb and forefinger to show how much.  
  
"More like this much!" Link opened her arms as wide as they would go. They all laughed.  
  
At dinner, the boys were insistent to know what was going on.  
  
"Tell us your plan!" Caveman urged eagerly, leaning forward to peer at Apple across the table.  
  
X-Ray nudged him and mouthed "cameras and microphones."  
  
"Oh." Caveman mumbled, turning red.  
  
They finished their meal in silence.  
  
"Well, I'm gonna go back and get ready for bed." Star said, stretching luxuriously. She wrote a ten on the table with her finger to indicate the time the boys were to come over. "Minx, Apple, are you coming with me?"  
  
"Yeah." Her two best friends agreed. They put away their trays and headed back through the darkness to their tent.  
  
"Our plan is a good one." Minx said thoughtfully, pulling her boots off without bothering to untie them and shoving them untidily under her cot. She took off her orange jumpsuit, rolled it in a ball, and stuffed it next to her boots. She pulled on a pink spaghetti strap nightgown and brushed through her long hair.  
  
"It will probably work." Star agreed, folding her jumpsuit and putting it away nicely in her crate with her boots. She pulled on an over-sized sorority t-shirt and baggy boxer shorts.  
  
"Probably? It has to work." Apple said, pulling her hair back into a low ponytail with a white scrunchie.  
  
"Who knows." Star shrugged, touching one of her cornrows. She'd have to take them down soon. They were starting to come out and get messy.  
  
"Anybody up for a game of Spoons?" Minx asked eagerly, setting her brush down on top of her crate.  
  
"Ooh, I am!" Star agreed quickly, getting her cards from her backpack and sitting down on her cot. Apple and Minx hurriedly joined her.  
  
Jewel, Kitty, and Link returned a few minutes later, discussing the immaturity of the male species in general.  
  
"No," Kitty was disagreeing. "I think they're all that stupid."  
  
"No, some of them are really smart." Link said softly.  
  
"Well X-Ray is one of the stupid ones then." Jewel grumbled.  
  
"Oh, are you playing spoons?" Kitty asked, catching sight of the game.  
  
"Mmmm." Minx nodded, biting her lip as she passed the cards along. Apple was already out, and it was between Star and Minx.  
  
"We wanna play next game." Jewel said, tossing her jumpsuit in a corner in a ball and pulling her over-sized Green Day t-shirt over her head.  
  
"It should be almost over." Apple murmured, watching the game intently.  
  
The tent flap opened and Fidget and Rogue came in.  
  
"Spoons!" Fidget cheered, changing into a pair of hot pink cheerleading shorts. "I wanna play next."  
  
"Try to keep it down." Rogue said sourly. "I'm going to read."  
  
"Oh, please play with us!" Fidget begged.  
  
"Yeah, c'mon Rogue!" Link urged politely.  
  
Star's hand shot out and she grabbed the one rock sitting in between her and Minx. "Whoever is playing better get over here."  
  
"Please Rogue?" Fidget gave her best puppy-dog face.  
  
"Well...okay." Rogue finally agreed.  
  
So they started another game with eight players. They played nearly four games before the boys arrived at the tent.  
  
"Okay, so are you going to tell us what your 'plan' is?" X-Ray demanded once everyone was settled around the tent. It was really crowded, as the tent was small to begin with.  
  
"We're going to run away." Star said simply.  
  
"That's your master plan?" Squid sneered, chomping away on his usual toothpick. "You'd die! We'd all die if we went!"  
  
"Make everyone happy and shut up for once!" Star snapped, her eyes narrowing dangerously at him. He glared at her, but shut his mouth. "We've got it all planned out. Fidget and somebody else can steal food."  
  
"I can." Magnet spoke up, his bandanna tied around his head. "My fingers are like little magnets."  
  
"Good." Star said briskly. "Jewel and X-Ray can fill up extra canteens for water. I can hot-wire Aphrodite's truck and we can leave during the night with no one the wiser."  
  
"You've actually thought about all this?" Armpit sounded impressed.  
  
"I helped!" Link said, then she blushed. "I-I helped think it up." Zero grinned and nudged Armpit, who grinned broadly.  
  
"I don't see anything wrong with it." X-Ray said. "Anyone opposed?" Nobody raised their hand.  
  
"Then it's all settled." Star said, her hands on her hips as though she was presiding over a court. "We'll make preparations tomorrow and leave two days from now, at midnight."  
  
"Okay." They all agreed.  
  
"Goodnight." The boys said.  
  
The girls didn't reply. They were still grouchy from their periods.  
  
All righty!! So wut'd u think?? R&R or I won't write any more!! I mean, there's no point in writing if nobody reads wut u write, right?? Oo, that sounds like a tongue-twister, don't it?? KK, I'm expecting at least a FEW reviews 


	7. Accidents happen

Hey hey thanx for the reviewz!! Made my day! U can ask Emily lol!! Kk, honestly, I was really happy. Soo.thanx n all. Kay, u know the deal. I don't own camp greenlake or any of the characters in the book or movie Holes. I do own camp arden (though it's passed out of the story quite a while ago) and all the girls.as well as the other characters which will be appearing in the next few chapters. So...read on and enjoy!! r&r pleaze!!  
  
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The sixteen of them kept their mouths fairly well shut, and their actions secret. So by the time they gathered in the girls' tent two days later, they had everything they needed.  
  
"Fidget, are you sure you need to take your crayons?" Rogue asked gently. "Won't they just melt again?"  
  
"You're bringing your cd player!" Fidget said accusingly, hugging her backpack tightly to her chest.  
  
"Well a cd player is more expensive than crayons." Rogue said defensively.  
  
"Keep it down!" Star said. They had all changed into their regular clothes before meeting, so she was wearing comfy clothes.  
  
"Yeah, we don't want Mr. Sir, Mom, Aphrodite, or Boxer to hear us." Apple agreed in a whisper.  
  
"Especially boxer." Minx shuddered convulsively, and Magnet smiled at her reassuringly. She blushed, but smiled back.  
  
"Okay, come on." X-Ray whispered. He led the way out of the dark tent, everyone huddled in a tightly knit group behind him. Star quietly reached through the open window and unlocked the door; she climbed in and hurriedly hot-wired the car.  
  
"We need to have one boy and one girl up front, and the rest of us in back." Jewel said. "I think Star should go first."  
  
"I'll go with her," X-Ray started to say. But Jewel interrupted.  
  
"No no, X-Ray, you have to be my partner!" She said, blushing slightly in the darkness.  
  
"What's going on out here?" Mr. Sir was standing directly behind them. Ms. Walker, the warden, was with him. She was wearing curlers in her hair, and she looked quite ridiculous. Mr. Sir had a shotgun with him.  
  
"None of your damn business!" Kitty had the audacity to snap.  
  
Mr. Sir cocked the shotgun dangerously. "What did you say?" He demanded.  
  
"It's none of your business!" ZigZag quickly came to Kitty's aid. He and Kitty both attacked Mr. Sir, wrestling the shotgun away from him. The others, in a quiet clamor, joined in the scuffle.  
  
Nobody quite knew who pulled the trigger, but when the smoke cleared, both the warden and Mr. Sir lay dead in puddles of blood, their blank eyes staring straight ahead unseeingly.  
  
"Oh my god." Link moaned, then she turned away and threw up.  
  
"Oh it's not the end of the world." Rogue snapped. "It's two less people to worry about getting in our way."  
  
"Well, here's somebody we better worry about: the cops." Armpit said, helping Link back up and letting her lean on him. "As soon as mom or one of the other counselors finds them two dead, the cops will be on our trail ASAP."  
  
"Let's put as much distance between us and Camp Greenlake, okay?" Caveman asked, climbing into the back of the truck and offering his hand to help Apple up. She smiled in the darkness, and sat down next to him. The others hurriedly climbed in. They had paired up in the groups they'd been in to hunt for Fidget and Twitch, so that left Squid to sit up front with Star.  
  
"Just keep your mouth shut and we won't have any problems." Star snapped, putting the truck into gear and peeling away down the dirt road as fast as the truck would go.  
  
"You can't talk!" Squid said angrily.  
  
"Shut it!" Star yelled.  
  
"Shhhh!" Came several voices from the back of the truck.  
  
Squid snorted angrily and tuned away, peering moodily out the window.  
  
"We killed two people." Link was still trembling as she sat in the back in between Armpit and Rogue.  
  
"Don't worry too much about it." Zero, who was sitting on the other side of Rogue, said gently. "They were bad people and it was coming to them anyway."  
  
"I know...but I don't think it was up to us to punish them." Link's lower lip quivered as though she was on the verge of crying.  
  
"It was an accident." Rogue said logically. "Accidents happen."  
  
About two hours later, Star put the truck in park. "Switch with me." She said, un-buckling her seatbelt.  
  
"What?" Squid demanded.  
  
"Switch with me." She repeated. "My eyes are getting tired and I need to rest a little bit."  
  
"Okay." Squid finally agreed. They scrambled over each other to the opposite seats. Squid blushed furiously because his hand had accidentally touched one of Star's breasts, but she hadn't noticed.  
  
"So what'd you do to get sent here?" Star asked, trying to make small talk.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it." Squid replied tensely, putting the truck back into drive and continuing into the darkness, which was steadily becoming lighter.  
  
"I understand." Star said, being nice to him for once. "What do you think you'll do when you get back home?"  
  
"I don't have a home." Squid muttered. "Not really."  
  
"Oh." Star fell silent for a moment. Then she gently put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, startled. "We'll take care of you, Squid."  
  
He smiled at her gratefully, and everything was instantly all right between them. Not to say that they didn't still have their little fights. Around four in the morning, they stopped the truck and yelled at each other about gas for so long that Minx and Magnet woke up and offered to take their turn driving.  
  
Squid climbed up into the back of the truck, amid all the sleeping bodies, and extending his hand. Star grabbed it, though it was unneccesary, and he pulled her up. They settled in the only two available spots (which had been occupied by Magnet and Minx) and were unfortunately very close together.  
  
"It's a pretty sunset." Squid whispered. He was tired, but knew he couldn't sleep with Star so close to him. He could smell her nice perfume, and it had an odd effect on him.  
  
"Mmm." Star mumbled in reply. Her eyes were closing sleepily, and her head nodded. Before too long, her head had fallen to the side on Squid's shoulder. His heart started beating fast, and his eyes got wide. He finally calmed down enough and went to sleep.  
  
"They like each other so much." Apple whispered to Caveman, who she was snuggling up against. "It's so obvious."  
  
"Squid would never admit it." Caveman shook his head.  
  
"Star wouldn't either." Apple agreed sadly. "She's too proud to admit to liking him, even though we all know she does."  
  
"Same goes for Squid." Caveman nodded.  
  
Apple let out a huge yawn, snuggled up closer to Caveman, and went back to sleep.  
  
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Kay, sorry it's so short but it's an important chapter!! So r&r and make me happy!!! And we had one of our wg practices tonight and we decided on a song!!! We're doing The Bells by...uh...well I forgot who it was by but it's gonna be awesome!! Not as awesome as blueman of course, but still really cool!! KK, luvs and nighty-night!! 


	8. Kidnapping

Okay: I don't own anything that's not mine but everything I do own belongs to me. This chapter is also being written (besides me of course) by my friends Stephanie and Emily. So if u don't like it...get over it.  
  
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Fidget woke everyone up at dawn by singing "this is the song that never ends" over and over again. Apple groaned and looked at her groggily.  
  
"Shut it." She mumbled. "Or I'll come over there and make you."  
  
"Ooh, I'm so scared!" Fidget taunted. Apple made to go after Fidget, but Caveman held her back and Rogue scooted in between them.  
  
"Chill out, everyone." She snapped. "I know we've had a sleepless night, but Star and Squid had to drive most of the night. Let's let them sleep at least a little bit longer."  
  
They all looked over at Squid and Star, who were leaning against each other and sleeping peacefully. Star's cornrows hung over her face and moved slightly with the breeze of the truck moving.  
  
"They like each other." Link said matter-of-factly, sitting close to Armpit who (for once in his life) didn't smell bad. * an sry to all u armpit fans but it's true!! *  
  
"Well that's obvious." Kitty said archly. She was sitting between Jewel and ZigZag, who seemed to have taken a LIKING to her.  
  
"I dunno. She gets on Squid's nerves." X-Ray said.  
  
"Well you're stupid." Jewel snapped. She hadn't been in a very good mood since she realized that she was going to have to tell X-Ray right out that she wanted him.  
  
"What's your problem?" X-Ray demanded angrily.  
  
"Nothing." Jewel folded her arms and turned away crossly. "Nothing at all."  
  
The truck stopped with a screeching of old brakes, and Minx and Magnet got out of the cab, looking exhausted.  
  
"Somebody else drive." Minx said, scrambling up into the back of the truck. "I can't hold my eyes open."  
  
"I'll go." Kitty offered. "Ziggy, you comin' with me?"  
  
"Sure." He agreed readily, his cheeks turning a slight pinkish color. The two of them retired to the cab and they pulled away again, Magnet and Minx settled in beside Squid and Star and immediately fell asleep.  
  
About an hour later, they stopped to go to the bathroom.  
  
"I'm hungry." Fidget moaned as she climbed back into the truck back. "And I'm thirsty."  
  
"We'll stop and eat in about an hour." Star told her. Because Star was probably the most responsible of them all, she was the elected leader- just as she had been back at camp. "We need to keep going just now."  
  
"Well hurry." Fidget urged.  
  
So an hour later, just as promised, ZigZag pulled the truck over to the side of the road and they all piled out. Apple and Minx got into the bag of provisions and handed out the food they'd brought. It was nasty canned food, and none of them like it very much; however it was all they had, so they ate it.  
  
It was nearly nine o'clock that night when the truck ran out of gas. X-Ray was driving. Jewel was sitting moodily next to her, glaring out the windshield. She couldn't even get X-Ray to TALK.  
  
"What happened?" Star demanded, jumping out of the back and rushing up to the cab. "What's going on?"  
  
"No more gas." X-Ray said, pointing to the gage on the dashboard.  
  
"Why didn't you think about that before we left?" Jewel demanded accusingly to Star.  
  
"I did!" Star sand angrily. "No matter how much gas we had, we were bound to run out sometime!!"  
  
"So what are we going to do?" Minx asked in a small voice. She was holding Magnet's hand, though in all the confusion nobody noticed.  
  
"We'll have to wait for somebody to come by." Star shrugged her small shoulders. "That's all we can do."  
  
So they sat down with their water canteens, leaning against each other, and waited.  
  
They waited for nearly three hours before a single vehicle drove by. It was an hour after that before another came by. The second one - a huge brown van- stopped. A guy got out of the drivers side. He was tall and lanky, and he was bald with a goatee. He was wearing a bandanna over his bald head.  
  
"You kids need a ride?" He asked. His voice was gruff and slightly hoarse, and he gave off a faint odor of whiskey.  
  
"Uh..." Star looked unsure about going with him. She didn't like trusting people she didn't have to.  
  
"Yeah, that'd be great." X-Ray interrupted. Minx stepped closer to Magnet involuntarily, and Link whimpered softly.  
  
"Actually, I think we'll be fine." Star said loudly, grabbing X-Ray's wrist and holding him back. "We'll just wait here."  
  
"You sure?" The guy asked, his rasping voice sending chills up everyone's spines.  
  
"Yes. Very sure." Apple said, supporting her best friend in her decision.  
  
"Get in the van." The man grumbled.  
  
"No thank you." Star said firmly.  
  
"Get in!" He growled. He thrust his hands out, grabbed Star and Squid by the arms, and threw them in the back of the van. Then he vaulted into the driver's seat and peeled away, leaving the rest of the kids staring after them in astonishment. 


	9. At least we tried

So what did u think?? Ya like?? Kk, r&r pleazz!!! Okay, I don't own what's not mine but what is mine I own. KK, next chapter!!  
  
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Minx was the first to recover her wits. "Star!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Star!"  
  
"Oh my god!" Link burst out crying and buried her face in Armpit's chest. "They've been.kidnapped!"  
  
"Okay, let's all calm down and think about this logically.' X-Ray suggested, breathing deeply.  
  
"How can we calm down?" Apple yelled, tears streaming down her face. "Calm down my ass!"  
  
"Apple!" ZigZag took her hand gently. She jerked it away, but stopped crying.  
  
"Okay, we've got to get Squid and Star back." Zero said.  
  
"But how?" Rogue demanded crossly. "They're probably a mile away from us now, and all we've got with us is a dead truck."  
  
"Well, let's think." Kitty said calmly. She didn't seem to get worked up about ANYTHING.  
  
Fidget suddenly snapped her fingers. "I totally forgot about it!"  
  
"Forgot about what?" Rogue demanded. Fidget didn't answer; she was scrambling into the back of the truck. She flung aside an old tattered blanket to reveal a five-gallon bottle of gasoline.  
  
"Fidget!" Minx shrieked, taking Fidget by the shoulders and shaking her roughly. Fidget's head rattled around, and she stepped back with a dazed look on her face.  
  
"Well what are we waiting for?" Magnet demanded, grabbing the bottle of gas. "Let's fill her up and get this rescue mission on the road!"  
  
So they put every last drop of gas in the truck, climbed into the cab and back, and peeled off down the road the direction the truck had gone.  
  
"I know this sounds kind of bad," Jewel whispered to Link, yawning widely. They were sitting up front in the cab, between Armpit and X-Ray. "But I'm so tired I could fall asleep right now!"  
  
Link nodded. Her eyes were drooping, and she could hardly hold her head up. It had been a long, long day for her.  
  
"Hey look!" X-Ray said suddenly, pointing through the windshield. There were lights in the distance; it looked like a small fire. "Turn off the lights. Tell everyone in the back to be quiet."  
  
Jewel leaned through the window. "We're gonna try to sneak up on them, so be really, really quiet." She warned.  
  
There was an immediate silence that fell. They all huddled together in the back of the truck, hearts beating fast.  
  
Armpit pulled the truck over to the side of the road a ways away from the parked van. "We're gonna have to walk from here or they'll hear us." He said.  
  
They all began the long walk toward the van. They reached it maybe an hour later.  
  
"Okay, I'm gonna slip into the van and let Squid and Star out." Minx said in a low voice.  
  
"I'm coming too." Apple said quickly.  
  
"Shh!" Caveman warned them.  
  
Minx and Apple slowly disappeared around the side of the van toward the passenger side, away from the fire.  
  
The bald man was sitting with his back to them. A tall, slender woman with short black hair and sunglasses sat next to him. She was wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat perched cockily on her head. She was smoking a cigarette.  
  
"What I would give for one of those." Kitty moaned to herself.  
  
Minx pulled out her screwdriver (which she carried with her everywhere) and unlocked the door.  
  
"Go away!" Star's voice said shrilly. She was scared. Even though it was dark and Apple and Minx couldn't see her, they could tell.  
  
"Shh, Star! It's us!" Apple whispered.  
  
"Apple?" Star demanded incredulously, her voice no more than a whisper.  
  
"Thank god!" Squid sighed in relief.  
  
"Are your hands tied?" Apple asked, climbing into the van. "I'll cut whatever's holding, them, okay? Now hold out your hands so I can find them..."  
  
"Don't cut my hands!" Star hissed.  
  
"Oh I'm not going to cut you! Have a little faith!" Apple snapped. She felt around in the dark, used her knife to slice the ropes binding her friends' hands, and smiled. "There!" They all four turned to the doorway, only to find it blocked by the bald man and cowgirl, who held all their friends captive.  
  
"Nice try." The man grumbled.  
  
"Kids are too brave for their own good." the woman smiled nastily. She was wearing WAY too much bright red lipstick.  
  
"Get in the van! And if we get any more trouble from you, you'll regret it." The man snarled. He shoved them all inside, then slammed and locked the door.  
  
There was no sound inside the van except for heavy breathing. The van was pitch dark. Star was holding onto someone (who smelled really good) and she didn't know who.  
  
Finally Kitty said, "Well, at least we tried."  
  
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Okay, so what'd you think?? Ya like?? R&r pleazzee!!! I won't post another chapter till I get lotz more reviews!!!!! Kk, thanks bunches to all my present reviewers!!! Luvs!! REVIEW 


	10. pirates

Hey u guys!! Thanks so much for reviewin!!! And I'm sorry that I update so often, but I don't have school, don't have a car, and otherwise don't have nething to do with my time on vacay. So.sorry bout it!! Oh, and happy Thanksgiving!!! Remember: I don't own anything that's not mine!!  
  
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The sixteen of them spent the rest of the night in a restless sleep inside the pitch black back of the van.  
  
When dawn finally broke, it was Fidget who woke them. The sunlight crept in through the cracks in the door, and through the tinted window. "I'm hungry!" She complained.  
  
"Me too." Rogue agreed absently. She was sprawled out with her head lolling to the side, seeming to indifferent to really care what happened to them.  
  
"All our food and water is back in the truck." Star said nervously. "We'll just have to wait and see if these people feed us."  
  
As if right on cue, the van door swung open and the woman appeared. She had discarded her cowboy hat by now, but the red lipstick was as bright as ever. She was holding three boxes of cereal. She shoved these, along with a carton of milk and plastic cups, into the van and then shut the door.  
  
There was an immediate scrambling for cups, cereal, and milk. Some of the milk got spilled, and Apple complained shrilly about how it was going to start stinking.  
  
That day they rode along in the van, not knowing where they were going or who their captors were. At dusk, the woman fed them again, and they traveled all night long.  
  
It was mid-morning the next day when the van opened again. This time the woman was holding a shotgun.  
  
"Out." She said simply. She had sunglasses pulled down low over her eyes. Wordlessly, the sixteen captives crawled out of the van, stretching their legs and flinching against the bright sunlight.  
  
"Where are we?" Link whispered, standing close to Armpit. He only shrugged; he didn't have a clue.  
  
"I think we're somewhere in Mexico." Kitty, who was standing near them, whispered. "It's the only place with an ocean that we could've reached this fast." There was a ship waiting in the bay. There was some movement on the ship, but other than that, the harbor was deserted.  
  
"Girls, get in the boat." The woman said, indicating a little rowboat. They all nervously scrambled into the rickety structure and were rowed to the ship waiting. A few minutes later, the boys arrived on another rowboat.  
  
"Hello children." The man said, approaching them. He had an evil grin on his face now. "My name is Captain Will. This is my ship, The Black Hawk. This is my first mate, Sheila." He indicated the woman, who just glared through her sunglasses. "And this, my dear friends, is a pirate ship."  
  
Link sniffed and stepped even closer to Armpit, who wrapped his arms around her protectively.  
  
"What do you want with us?" X-Ray asked boldly. "We're just run-aways from Camp Green Lake! We don't have money or valuables or anything except the clothes on our backs!"  
  
"You've got strong muscles." Captain Will said. "That's something we need. Our crew was starting to dwindle. In face, besides you, there's my second mate, Harry, and a man named Reiss, and that's it. You'll be a welcome addition, I do believe."  
  
"You're going to make us work!" Apple demanded incredulously. "What if I break a nail or something!"  
  
Captain Will sneered and slapped her hard across the face. "Don't ever speak to me like that again!" He growled. Apple's eyes watered, but she wouldn't cry. Caveman quickly pulled her close to him.  
  
"Now, Sheila will take the girls to their cabin, and Harry will take the boys to theirs." Captain Will went on. "You will be expected to work first thing tomorrow, when we set sail."  
  
"Come along." Sheila snapped, and she led them away down some wooden stairs to a cabin. It was lined with eight hammocks with thin blankets and small pillows.  
  
There was a small shower in the corner. They took turns showering.  
  
Kitty was the last one to get out of the shower. Star sitting on the floor, cross-legged, braiding Apple's hair. Minx was brushing her hair. Rogue and Fidget were playing a game. Jewel and Link were talking.  
  
Reiss, the extra pirate, came in and brought them food. It wasn't the best, but it was a whole lot better than canned food and cereal. They ate it quickly, then settled down in their hammocks for a long and restless night.  
  
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Kay, short I know but then again my cousins are jumping around on my bed behind me so I can't concentrate the way I normally can!! Lol, kay, keep reviewing cuz it makes me happy!! 


	11. big plans

I still don't have school! Yay!! That means I update lotz faster. And then there's x-mas break!!! Yay!! Kay, thanx for all the reviews I been getting!! Okay, I don't own camp green lake or any of the people, but I do own the pirates and the girls and anybody else I might introduce in the next couple of chaps!! Okay, onward!!  
  
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The girls were awakened the following morning by Sheila. She stomped down the wooden stairs into the cabin, her cowboy boots making loud clacking noises. She hurled a cloth sack into the corner.  
  
"Up!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Get up now or you won't get anything to eat!" And she turned on her heel and stomped away.  
  
"What time is it?" Jewel asked sleepily, raising her head from her pillow. Her hammock swung precariously.  
  
"Who knows." Apple mumbled, rolling out of her hammock and landing cat-like on the floor. "What's in the sack?"  
  
"Let's find out." Minx opened the bag and pulled out wads and wads of clothes. "Ugh, what is this?"  
  
"I think we're supposed to change into them." Link said softly, picking up a pair of soft cotton pedal-pushers.  
  
"Well, at least they're clean." Kitty sniffed at a shirt.  
  
So they changed into the pants and sleeveless cotton shirts Sheila had given them. They pulled their socks and sneakers on, pulled up their hair, and headed out on deck.  
  
It was probably about six in the morning. The sky was lightening, but the sun wasn't up yet.  
  
"Follow me." Reiss said, appearing from a doorway. He led them down a short, dark hallway and into the kitchen. The boys were already sitting down at a long table. Some food was placed on it.  
  
"Morning." They all greeted each other cordially.  
  
"What do you think we're going to have to do?" X-Ray whispered to Star.  
  
She gave him an exasperated look. "X-Ray, do you have a crush on me?"  
  
"Huh? What?" X-Ray looked startled and surprised. "No, I-"  
  
"Then don't talk to me." Star held up her hand to silence him. "Talk to Jewel. She's your girlfriend for god's sake."  
  
"I-I." X-Ray blushed furiously, but it was nothing compared to Jewel's embarrassment.  
  
"We all are kind of going out, aren't we?" Kitty mused out loud as ZigZag wrapped his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Uh, excuse me." Squid pointed out. "I'm not going out with anybody."  
  
"Yes you are." Fidget said, bouncing up and down on the hard wooden bench they were sitting on. "You're going with Star!"  
  
"I am not!" Squid said hotly.  
  
"I would NEVER go with him!" Star spat angrily.  
  
"Okay, okay!" Rogue said quickly, breaking off the fight before it got too out of hand. "You guys AREN'T going out with each other, no biggie."  
  
"Hmph." Squid snorted angrily, and they all started in on their breakfast.  
  
"All right, you little slaves." Sheila said, marching into the kitchen about half an hour later. She stood in the doorway with a bandanna pulled over her short hair and her sunglasses in her hand. "We're going to give you each a job, and Will, Harry, Reiss, and I will show you how to do those jobs."  
  
"Jobs? As in working hard?" Minx asked, leaning exhaustedly on Magnet.  
  
"Yes." Sheila's eyes narrowed. "Little blonde one, what's your name?"  
  
"Me?" Link asked. Sheila nodded. "Link." She replied.  
  
"You're in kitchen duty with the little brunette girl." Sheila said.  
  
"Who, me?" Fidget asked, jabbing herself in the chest.  
  
"Uh, I don't think that's such a good idea." Jewel interrupted. "Fidget's the clumsiest person in the world. She'd break everything in the kitchen."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I would." Fidget nodded her head emphatically.  
  
"Fine. Black chick, you're in with Link here." Sheila said. Jewel smiled reassuringly at Link. Whatever they had to do, they could get through it together. "Boy with the visor and Fidget," Sheila went on. "You're on cabin duty."  
  
"Does that mean cleaning?" Twitch groaned.  
  
"Yes." Sheila's eyes flashed dangerously. "The rest of you are going to be split into groups and are going to be instructed by Bill and myself."  
  
"What kind of groups?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Group one: boy with toothpick, boy with glasses, Mexican kid, cornrows chick, and the little black haired girl." Sheila said. "Group two, the rest of you. Everyone follow me."  
  
She led them up the stairs and onto the deck. The sun was coming up now, casting beautiful shadows on the crystal-clear water.  
  
"Okay, group one with Captain Will; group two with me." Sheila said. She led her group over to one side of the deck, and Will led his over to the other.  
  
"I will take no funny business at all." Will began in a loud, firm voice.  
  
"Then you should probably go look in a mirror." Minx muttered under her breath. They all stifled their laughter.  
  
"I mean it!" Will snarled, and he looked so menacing that they fell silent.  
  
By the time they were sent to dinner, at nine that evening, they were all exhausted; but they knew all about being a pirate now.  
  
In the morning, they set sail for the Caribbean (according to Sheila). With Star and Squid up in the rigging, it gave the others a chance to talk about them.  
  
"We've GOT to do something." Minx sighed as she tied a knot in a piece of rope. "They like each other, but they're both WAY too stubborn to admit it."  
  
"Tell me about it." Apple agreed. "I mean, even Link has gotten together with Armpit. And Star's the prettiest out of all of us!"  
  
"I disagree." Caveman said, and Apple smiled at him.  
  
"But what can we do?" Kitty asked, readjusting her bandanna over her short hair.  
  
"Well..." X-Ray said, leaning against the railing. "Come here." They all huddled together, and X-Ray whispered something to them.  
  
"Oh my god!" Minx squealed excitedly. "That's such a great idea!"  
  
"Shhh!" Apple warned, but she too was grinning broadly.  
  
"We've got some big plans for them." Magnet said, smiling eagerly.  
  
"Big plans." Kitty repeated. They all leaned their heads back, shaded their eyes, and looked up at Squid and Star.  
  
They were arguing.  
  
"You're not tying it right!" Star snapped. She was leaning back and sitting on the rope, her feet tucked into the footholds.  
  
"Well you tie it then!" Squid said angrily.  
  
"Fine! I will!" Star reached forward and tied the knot perfectly.  
  
"Why do you always have to be right?" Squid demanded angrily.  
  
"I don't always HAVE to be right," Star replied, tucking a loose cornrow behind her shoulder. "I just always am."  
  
"Ha! Talk about modest!" Squid muttered.  
  
"Hey, I never said I was beautiful!" Star said.  
  
"Well just because you are doesn't mean that you can act so bitchy!" Squid fumed, and he went down the rope as fast as he could, leaving Star to stare after him. He had called her beautiful...  
  
"Oh my god, what happened to your hands Link?" Kitty asked at dinner that evening.  
  
"I cut my hand on a plate today while doing the breakfast dishes." Link explained, blushing.  
  
"The plates aren't sharp." X-Ray pointed out.  
  
"She spilled some ice, slipped on it, and broke the plate first." Jewel laughed, and Link even smiled.  
  
"God I'm so tired." Star moaned as they made their way back to their cabin and changed for bed.  
  
"Tired from your fight with Squid?" Apple asked mischievously.  
  
"What fight?" Star asked airily, pulling her hair up into a ponytail.  
  
"Oh, we heard the WHOLE thing." Minx agreed, exchanging a sly smile with her friends.  
  
"He said you were BEAUTIFUL." Kitty teased.  
  
"He did not." Star shook her head. "And if he did, he only said it because he didn't realize what he was saying."  
  
"When will you grow up, Star?" Jewel sighed lovingly.  
  
"I am grown up!" Star complained, climbing into her hammock.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Fidget agreed, nodding with wide eyes. "Of course."  
  
"Shut up." Star rolled her eyes, they turned out the light, and went to sleep.  
  
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Okay, kind of a longer chap!! So...keep on reviewing cuz it's keeping me happy!!! Luvs!!! I'll prolly post the next couple a chaps real soon, so review fast!!! Luvs!!! 


	12. swimming and first kisses

Okay, I know I just updated, but I've got this whole thing planned out in my head and if I don't write it down then I'll forget what it is that I want to happen. And if I don't post it as soon as I write it, then I'll forget to post it. I'm kinda absent-minded like that. Ugh, it's like twenty degrees outside and the fan is going!! I'm freezing!! KK, I own what is mine but what isn't I don't. Got it?? Good.  
  
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Nearly two weeks passed without much event. Then, one very windy day, Squid and Star were sent up in the rigging once again.  
  
"They're all watching us." Star commented, not looking up from the knot she was tying. Her chipped black nail polish shone in the light.  
  
"I know." Squid agreed uncomfortably.  
  
"They think we're going to get together." Star went on.  
  
"Yeah, even though we know it's impossible." Squid said. "Two people who dislike each other as much as we do could never get together."  
  
The wind whipped Star's hair around her face. "Yeah." She mumbled looking up at him. "I know. I mean, we're just...too different."  
  
"Yeah...different." Squid, despite himself, couldn't stop staring into her eyes. They were deep and nearly completely black (an. is that kinda romantic?) He reached down and gently brushed a few lone cornrows off her face, leaning closer. Star closed her eyes, wanting this more than anything...  
  
"You guys done up there?" Twitch called unknowingly.  
  
Squid stepped back, his face very flushed. He let go of Star's face (to her innermost disappointment) and stepped back. "Yeah, we're coming down!" He called back. And without looking at Star, he headed down the rope.  
  
Star leaned back against the ropes, her heart beating VERY fast. He'd almost kissed her...what did that mean?  
  
It was nearly a month later when the ship pulled into the cove of an island.  
  
"Where are we?" Fidget asked, hopping from one foot to the other, as they all stood on deck and lowered the anchor.  
  
"This is an island where we do business." Sheila said absently, watching the island through her sunglasses. "While Captain Will, Harry, Reiss, and I are on the island, you are to remain here with the ship. Am I clear?"  
  
"Yes ma'am." They all replied in unison, rolling their eyes at each other.  
  
"Sheila," Link asked politely, softly.  
  
"What?" Sheila turned her sharp, hawk-like gaze upon the littlest member of the group.  
  
"Are there any sharks in the cove?" Link asked.  
  
"No, there's a coral reef that prevents them getting in." Sheila replied absently. Then she paused. "What do you want to know for?"  
  
"May we have permission to go swimming?" Link asked hopefully. "We'll stay right by the ship, and swimming would cool us off and enable us to work harder."  
  
"Well..." Sheila thought for a minute, then nodded. "I suppose so. But you must be ready to set sail when we return."  
  
"Oh course!" Jewel nodded fervently.  
  
So they saw their fellow pirates off, then raced to their cabins to change.  
  
"What the hell are we supposed to wear?" Star raged, going through the clothes bag in a frenzy.  
  
"I guess I didn't think about that." Link admitted, sinking dispiritedly onto her hammock.  
  
"Oh grow up you guys." Kitty said, pulling her shirt over her head. She was wearing a black sports bra. She found an extra pair of pants in the bag, ripped the legs off, and made shorts. "Ta-da!"  
  
"You're in your bra, Kitty." Link pointed out in a whisper.  
  
"So?" Star demanded. "I went around in my sports bra all the time at Green Lake." And she changed into an outfit very similar to Kitty's.  
  
"Here, we can just tear the sleeves off this shirt to make a tank top if you don't want to go around in your bra." Jewel offered gently, holding up an extra shirt.  
  
"Thanks." Link smiled.  
  
The boys were already in the water by the time the girls came back out onto the deck.  
  
"Come on!" X-Ray yelled, beckoning them in.  
  
"Let's go!" Jewel urged. She and Link started down the rope ladder that went down to the water. Kitty, Rogue, and Fidget followed them.  
  
"Come on, let's go." Apple said.  
  
"Let's jump!" Minx said excitedly, climbing up onto the railing.  
  
"Minx, you're crazy! Get down from there!" Star said.  
  
"Oh, let's do it!" Apple said, her eyes alight.  
  
"Well..." Star hesitated.  
  
"Come on Star!" Apple urged, climbing up onto the railing. Together, she and Minx pulled Star up between them.  
  
"Okay." Star sighed, then she grinned. She took a deep breath, counted to three, and they all three jumped!  
  
It was the most wonderful feeling, flying through the air like that. They hit the water and sliced through it like knives.  
  
Star loved the water; it had always been her favorite place to be. She stayed under water as long as she could, but she finally had to rise up to the surface to breathe.  
  
"That was awesome!" Minx cheered, pushing her thick hair back off her forehead.  
  
"Wow, you've got to talk me into things like that more often!" Star said, smiling and shaking back her cornrows.  
  
"Talk you into things like...going out with Squid?" Caveman asked.  
  
"Shut up!" Squid snapped. He'd been really touchy ever since he'd almost kissed Star. Why did they have to keep pressuring him? Even if he DID want Star, she didn't like him. It only made it hurt more.  
  
"How about no." Star snapped. They all fell silent after a few minutes.  
  
Minx, Apple, X-Ray, Caveman, and Magnet exchanged sly grins.  
  
"Let's play a game!" X-Ray suggested, over-acting incredibly.  
  
"Ooh, truth or dare!" Minx exclaimed cheerfully.  
  
"Oh, I wanna play!" Apple agreed.  
  
"You guys-" Star began, but Minx gave her a puppy-dog face and she shut up.  
  
"I'll go first." Kitty said maliciously. "Minx, truth or dare?"  
  
"Truth." Minx said smugly.  
  
"How far have you and Magnet actually gone?" Kitty's eyes were harsh. She obviously knew something that everybody else didn't.  
  
"I-well-uh..." Minx blushed furiously and looked away. Magnet laughed hysterically.  
  
"Well? We're waiting." Kitty said, her eyes cold. Star thought Kitty was being incredibly mean. Granted that she WASN'T the nicest person to begin with...  
  
"Okay, so we've gone all the way." Minx mumbled, looked away dispiritedly. Then she looked up defiantly. "And I DON'T regret it no matter what you say, Kitty!"  
  
There was a silence.  
  
"Well I've done it before." Rogue said, sticking up for her friend. Minx gave her a grateful smile.  
  
"Okay, my turn." Minx said, getting over it quickly. "Jewel, truth or dare."  
  
"Truth." Jewel replied.  
  
"Who do you like?" Minx asked.  
  
"X-Ray." Jewel replied promptly. She and Minx had planned for this to happen. X-Ray blushed. He was starting to get it now. "Apple, truth or dare?"  
  
"Dare." Apple said, her eyes twinkling mischievously and her red hair plastered to her forehead.  
  
"I dare you to take off your top and swim around the ship." Jewel said, giggling cheerfully.  
  
"How many chickens do we get?" Apple asked.  
  
"Only two." Minx held up two fingers.  
  
"Okay." Apple agreed. She unclasped her sports bra (it was one of the ones that unfastened at the front), handed it to Minx to hold, and started off. Even though the water was clear, they couldn't see anything. Apple made it all the way around, put her top back on, and began treading water again. "Zero, truth or dare?"  
  
"Truth." Zero replied quietly. He was much too shy to take a dare.  
  
"Who do you like?" Apple asked sweetly.  
  
"Can I chicken?" Zero gulped.  
  
"Just answer the question, man." Caveman said.  
  
"Rogue." Zero mumbled miserably. Rogue's eyes widened.  
  
"You have a crush on me? She asked gently. Zero nodded. "Awww, that's so sweet!" And she kissed him firmly on the cheek. Zero blushed broadly.  
  
"X-Ray, truth or dare?" Zero asked, feeling MUCH more confident.  
  
"Yeah, uh...dare." X-Ray replied.  
  
"I dare you to..." Zero paused to think. Rogue whispered something in his ear. Zero grinned. "I dare you to tell Jewel how you REALLY feel about her." Jewel was startled; she hadn't been expecting this.  
  
"Well," X-Ray was not one to get flustered no matter what happened. "I really like her and I wish she was my girlfriend."  
  
"I am your girlfriend!" Jewel said, kissing his cheek fondly. He grinned.  
  
"I knew that." He insisted. "Okay, Star. Truth or dare?" Everyone looked on. This was (dun dun dun!!) the plan.  
  
"Dare." Star said, without really thinking.  
  
"Aha!" Minx cried loudly. Everyone looked at her, and she blushed.  
  
"I dare you to kiss Squid...on the lips!" X-Ray said in a forbidding voice.  
  
"That is so not fair!" Star complained, the color draining out of her sun- tanned face. "I chicken."  
  
"You don't have any chickens." Apple said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Why not? I haven't used any!" Star exclaimed.  
  
"We didn't give you any in the first place." Jewel said.  
  
"That is NOT fair." Star said angrily. "I won't do it."  
  
"Oh stop being a baby, Star!" Kitty rolled her eyes. "It's one little kiss. Just do it!"  
  
"I won't let her." Squid declared, very red in the face. "There's no way I'm letting her!"  
  
"Grow up, both of you!" Twitch laughed. "Just kiss him Star! You know you want to!" They all laughed.  
  
"I do not!" Star declared hotly.  
  
"Then just kiss him and get it over with!" Minx said exasperatedly.  
  
Star heaved a great sigh and waded her way through the chest-deep water to where Squid stood awkwardly. Her heart felt like it was going to beat straight out of her chest, and her hands shook with nerves. Everyone held their breath with anticipation. Feeling sick to her stomach, Star stood on her tiptoes and leaned closer, half-way closing her eyes. Squid's heart was pounding. He closed his eyes, waiting... Star kissed him lightly, then harder. She pulled away quickly, her lips tingling.  
  
There were "ooh"s and catcalls from all around.  
  
"Shut up." Star grumbled, shaking her head. It felt light and bubbly, and she was having trouble focusing. She didn't know WHAT was wrong with her.  
  
"Aw man." Armpit sighed heavily. "Look, Will and Sheila and the goons are leaving the island."  
  
"We'd better get back up." Link agreed softly.  
  
They all clamored up the rope ladder, changed into dry clothes, and were ready when Will, Sheila, Harry, and Reiss returned to the ship.  
  
"Very good." Sheila complimented them. "Now, let's set sail. We're heading for Australia. We've got some more business there."  
  
"Ooh, cute Australian boys!" Minx whispered to Apple.  
  
"What about Magnet?" Apple asked, grinning.  
  
"Oh, he's still cutest." Minx whispered back.  
  
That night, as they all got ready for bed, Minx breached the subject of Squid and Star once again.  
  
"You have to admit, Star, you wanted to kiss him." Minx said.  
  
"I did not." Star muttered, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.  
  
"You did so. We could all tell." Kitty said.  
  
"Well, okay maybe I did." Star snapped. "But only to see what it was like. And it wasn't that great."  
  
"Oh come on!" Apple giggled. "You almost fainted when you kissed him!"  
  
"I did not!" Star disagreed. "You guys are taking this way to far! Squid and I hate each other!"  
  
"Whatever you say." Rogue flashed Fidget a smile, and Fidget giggled.  
  
"I'm going to bed." Star said moodily. She climbed into her hammock and Jewel turned the light off.  
  
Everyone fell asleep almost immediately, but Star's dreams were filled with kissing and (oddly enough) Squid.  
  
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Hee hee!! I had SOOO much fun writing that!! Okay, yep, this is my second post today!! Quite sorry!! Ha ha!! My fan has been shut off and now I'm hot!! Anyway, keep reviewing because it makes me VERY VERY happy!! Peace out!! (LOL) 


	13. escape

Ha ha ha ha!!! This is totally like my third post today!!! Muhahahahahaha!! I feel evil posting so much...don't know why. Neway, just ignore my ramblings and keep reading!! And feed me with reviews!! It's how I live you guys!! Okay, keep reading!!  
  
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They reached Australia nearly a month later. Once again, they were told to remain with the ship while Will, Sheila, Harry, and Reiss went on land to do whatever is they did.  
  
"Hey you guys, I've got a plan." X-Ray whispered as soon as the pirates were gone.  
  
"What is it?" Jewel asked, sitting on the railing.  
  
"Look at what Twitch stole yesterday." X-Ray said. Twitch produced a bag full of hundred dollar bills.  
  
"Oh my god!" Fidget peered in the bag, her face glowing. "Where did you get all this?"  
  
"I stole it from Will's cabin." Twitch said proudly. Fidget pecked him on the cheek, then went back to counting the money.  
  
"So what's the plan?" Minx urged, tossing her hair over her shoulder.  
  
"We sneak into Australia." X-Ray said smugly.  
  
"What?!?" Jewel lost her balance and had to grab Apple, nearly dragging her overboard too. "Have you lost your mind?"  
  
"No, it's a good plan." Star spoke up, thinking hard. "There's two rowboats. They've got the speedboat. If we take one rowboat, we can sink it when we get to shore. We've got enough cash to get home to our families."  
  
"Not all of us have families to go back to." Squid snapped.  
  
"And those of us who do...don't want to go back." Rogue admitted. They all nodded their agreement.  
  
"Then we'll go on an extended vacay." Star said. "Anybody against?" No one spoke. "Good. Change into regular clothes and we'll leave. We need to be far, far away by the time Will and Sheila get back."  
  
They scattered to their cabins, changing into their regular clothes.  
  
"We'll stay at a hotel tonight, on the outskirts of Sydney if we can make it." Star said to herself, tying her shoes.  
  
"Who you gonna room with, Star?" Minx asked, exchanging a sly smile with Apple. "Squid?"  
  
"Ha ha, not funny." Star snapped. "Anyway, isn't that YOUR domain, Minx?" Minx's face paled, and her eyes narrowed.  
  
"Drop it, Star." She snarled.  
  
"Sorry, Minx." Star apologized. "But you guys don't understand; Squid and I CAN'T like each other. It's just not an option, even if we wanted to."  
  
"Apology accepted." Minx said, smiling. "And we'll stop ragging on you and Squid about it. Deal?"  
  
"Deal." Star grinned.  
  
They all climbed into the rowboat and began rowing toward a side shoreline. They sank the boat and traveled inland. After Twitch hotwired a large minivan to carry them all, they headed as fast as they could toward the airport.  
  
They stopped at a hotel that night. "Uh, we can do four to a room." Star said as they stood in the lobby. "So that would make four rooms."  
  
"Here are yer keys mate." The concierge said politely. (an. Sry, can't do aussie accents!!)  
  
"Thanks a mil." Star feigned a smile and they headed up to their hallway. "Kay, who's rooming with me?"  
  
"Squid." Caveman coughed. Apple jabbed him in the stomach.  
  
"Cut it out!" She mouthed.  
  
"Me and Apple." Minx said.  
  
"I'll be in your room too." Fidget said.  
  
"Sweet. This is our room." Star said, and the four of them disappeared into the hotel room.  
  
Apple immediately flopped down on the bed and dialed next door's room number.  
  
Squid picked up. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey, it's Apple." Apple said.  
  
"Yo Caveman, it's for you!" Squid called.  
  
"Watcha doin?" Minx asked, peering over Star's shoulder as she typed away on the computer.  
  
"Buying plane tickets online." Star said, still typing. ("No, I'm actually typing a story about our adventures on ff.net, but shhhh!")  
  
"Didja get them?" Minx asked.  
  
"Yeah. Our flight leaves two days from now." Star said, typing in a credit- card number.  
  
"Uh, Star?" Minx asked nervously. "Where'd you get that credit card number?" She pointed to the screen.  
  
"Fidget swiped it this afternoon." Star grinned, holding up the guard.  
  
"You're welcome!" Fidget called from where she was jumping on one of the double beds.  
  
"It's what's getting us tickets." Star said.  
  
"First class?" Fidget asked hopefully, falling off the bed and taking a lamp with her.  
  
"No, we don't want to be too noticeable." Star said. "And don't break anything, cause we'll have to pay for it."  
  
"Sorry." Fidget said, rubbing her head as she climbed to her feet.  
  
"Does this mean we can go shopping tomorrow?" Minx asked eagerly, her face lighting up.  
  
"Honey, I don't even have anything to sleep in!" Star laughed. "Of course we're going shopping!"  
  
"Yay!" Minx cheered.  
  
"Would ya mind keeping it down?" Apple asked acidly. She went back to the phone. "Yeah, I miss you too Caveman." She giggled.  
  
"You've been away from each other for five freakin minutes!" Fidget rolled her eyes, struggling to take her sneakers off and tripping over the bed.  
  
"See you tomorrow." Apple said sweetly. "Bye!" She hung up and sighed dreamily.  
  
"Let's get some sleep." Star said, grinned broadly as she took off her sneakers and jeans, wearing her t-shirt. "We're gonna have a long day tomorrow!"  
  
They woke up at eight the next morning (a welcome relief). They showered, got dressed, and met in the lobby.  
  
"Let's grab some breakfast." Rogue suggested, pointing to a café. "That place looks good."  
  
"I agree." Zero said. Rogue smiled at him, and he blushed.  
  
They ate a large breakfast, then split up into groups of boys and girls to go shopping.  
  
"So how much do you guys think you'll need?" Star asked, pulling out the money. She had been put in charge of it-of course.  
  
"Uh, a hundred each?" X-Ray suggested. The boys all nodded.  
  
The girls looked at each other, then burst out laughing.  
  
"Take three hundred each." Star said, still chuckling. "Clothes don't come that easy, kids. Buy anything you need." She handed the money out. "Meet at the hotel at six for dinner. See ya."  
  
"So what should we buy first?" Link asked as they broke off from the boys.  
  
"Bras and underwear." Minx said firmly. "I am definitely getting a bit big for this B." She readjusted her bra uncomfortably.  
  
"Oh my god. A Victoria's Secret!" Apple sighed contentedly. (an ha ha em!!)  
  
They returned to the hotel about four o'clock and took turns showering.  
  
"I love your hair." Minx sighed contentedly. She and Apple were sitting in shorts and new bras on one of the beds. Star was sitting before them, and they were taking down her cornrows.  
  
"Thanks." Star murmured. "I'm kind of nervous about taking them down. It's so easy to manage cornrows."  
  
"But your hair is so pretty." Apple said.  
  
"I dunno..." Star murmured.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Minx insisted. They all jumped as a loud crash came from the bathroom.  
  
"Fidget just slipped." Apple said. She raised her voice a little. "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah yeah!" Fidget called back cheerfully.  
  
"Almost done." Minx said, picking up the hair brush and brushing through Star's hair. "There."  
  
"Okay, well what's done is done." Star sighed heavily. "Anyway, if I don't like it, I can just get cornrows done again, right?"  
  
"Right!" Minx and Apple agreed.  
  
"Fidget, you better hurry up or we're gonna be late!" Star called.  
  
"I'm coming!" Fidget called. She appeared in the bathroom doorway, clutching a towel around her body loosely. She was dripping water, and her wet hair was slung all over her face.  
  
"Did you have a fight with the showerhead?" Apple asked.  
  
"And lose?" Minx added. They all laughed.  
  
"Ha ha!" Fidget giggled, then she went over to her new things.  
  
They all headed to the elevators once they were dressed and ready. Star stopped suddenly.  
  
"I forgot my new purse." She said. "It's got that credit card Fidget swiped today, and we need it to pay for dinner. I've gotta run back and get it."  
  
"You want us to wait?" Apple offered.  
  
"Nah, go ahead." Star said, turning back down the hallway. "I won't be too long, okay?"  
  
"Kay." Fidget shrugged, pressing the LOBBY button. They rode all the way down. Everyone else was waiting for them.  
  
"Where's Star?" Kitty asked, smoothing down her new black leather pants and sparkly-red tube top. She was wearing huge silver hoops in her ears, and she was carrying a red sequined purse.  
  
"She left her purse in the room, so she had to go back and get it." Fidget explained, tugging on her jeans and lime green froggy tank top.  
  
"Hey! Sorry I held you guys up!" Star called, rushing up to them.  
  
"Shit, man!" Armpit said in awe. "What the hell did she do to her hair?"  
  
"We took it down!" Apple said cheerfully.  
  
Squid, most of all, was riveted on Star. Though he'd liked the cornrows, her hair now hung in shining white-blonde sheets halfway down her back. It made her look more girlish and princess-y than what she normally looked like- some kind of powerful army chick (though the look suited her well). She was wearing a pair of fitted jeans and a black halter top. She was carrying her purse, black with feathers. (an those r sooo cute and I am totally gonna go get me one o those!!)  
  
"Shut your mouth dude." X-Ray whispered to him. "If you wanna keep up this façade that you don't like the girl, you gotta make it believable."  
  
"I don't like her!" Squid snapped, but it was harder to deny it when she looked so...vulnerable.  
  
"What are you all staring at?" Star demanded self-consciously.  
  
"You look...great!" Magnet complimented her.  
  
"Wow, your hair is so gorgeous!" Rogue complimented. Kitty BURNED with jealousy (an k, if u hadn't noticed, kitty's NOT my fav character!!)  
  
"Thanks." Star mumbled, embarrassed. She stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Um, can we go to dinner now?"  
  
"Yeah." They all agreed quickly, and they headed out to find a restaurant to eat at.  
  
They returned to the hotel around ten o'clock that evening. Minx and Star sat on their bed, while Fidget and Apple fought over the sink in the bathroom.  
  
"Squid couldn't keep his eyes off you tonight." Minx said gently, braiding her hair and securing it with a rubber band.  
  
"So?" Star replied, somewhat crossly. She HAD noticed. How could she not have? It made her heart pound just to think of him thinking about her.  
  
"I noticed you looked his way an awful lot too." Minx said, shrugging her shoulders.  
  
"That doesn't mean anything." star said, not bothering to be angry with her best friend.  
  
"If you say so, Star." Minx said. "Do whatever makes you happy, okay? I just want you to be happy."  
  
"Minx, you're the best friend anybody could ever have." Star said, hugging her friend tightly.  
  
"Hey! What about me?" Apple joked from the doorway to the bathroom. They all laughed.  
  
They got up early the next morning to catch their flight. They grabbed breakfast, caught a cab to the airport, and took their bags through baggage claim. Then they took their seats.  
  
"Man, look at her! She's so fine!" X-Ray whispered to Squid as they sat on the plane. Apple, Minx, and Jewel had all brought tons of magazines, Rogue had her cd player, Link and Fidget were coloring, Star was reading, and Kitty was writing in her black book. "You just can't pass her up, man!"  
  
"I don't want her, X." Squid said firmly. "You take her if you think she's so hot."  
  
"Man, I got Jewel." X-Ray said. "She's plenty hot enough for me."  
  
"Then don't rag on me about Star, okay?" Squid asked plainly.  
  
"Sure man." X-Ray gave in placidly.  
  
Apple leaned across Minx and poked Star, who looked up from her book. "So where we going, travel queen?" She asked.  
  
"Well, I was thinking a nice little ski-weekend in Sweden." Star grinned.  
  
"Aw yeah, baby!" Minx pumped her fist in the air. "Hot tubs in twenty- degree weather? I live for that!"  
  
"I just can't wait to get my hands on a snowboard!" Star said, and they all giggled.  
  
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Third post! Third post! Third post! Sorry, that's like a total acomplishment for me!! I used to put up like one chap, and never add on to it. So this chapter 13 is really big for me!! Review, baby, review!! Ya like?? Tell me!! I need feedback!! Sorry, I've been munching on Monkey Bread (oh my god it's sooo good) all day long!! Sooooooo much sugar!!! I am on such a high!! I'm gonna be up till like midnight tomorrow night!! Muhahahahahahaha!! IT'S SNOWING!!!! YAY!!! Okay, I really gotta stop with the monkey bread. If I keep chugging it like this, I'm gonna weigh a ton!! Oh, and check out my story on fictionpress.net!! under fantasy.........same penname n everything!! LOL luvs hugs kisses!!! BYENESS 


	14. true feelings

Hey hey I haven't posted anything today!! Yay! I'm watching Scary Movie!! Lol!! Okay, I don't own what's not mine but what is I do. Got it?? Yeah yeah, me neither. On with the story!  
  
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They landed in Sweden nearly twenty-four hours later (an sry, I don't know the actual amount of time it takes to fly from Australia to Sweden, so we're just gonna make believe, okay?), and it was night.  
  
"Okay, there's the lodge our reservations are at." Star said, pointing it out to the taxi driver.  
  
"Ooh, it's gorgeous!" Minx breathed, snuggling up close to Caveman in the middle seat. They were squashed onto it with Apple, Zigzag and Star.  
  
"Yeah, got it's own ski shop and everything." Star said. They pulled up in front of the lodge and a few bellboys ran out to get their bags.  
  
"Man, this place is tight." Armpit said, his arm around Link.  
  
"Somebody come with me to check in." Star said, digging around through her purse. She had a blue jean purse this time, and her silky hair fell over her face as she looked for whatever it was she was looking for.  
  
"Squid, go with her." Zigzag said. Squid glared at him.  
  
"Man, everybody knows that you don't like her." X-Ray whispered. "But you the only guy without a girl!"  
  
"Fine, fine!" Squid rolled his eyes. He grabbed Star's arm. "C'mon." He muttered. She glared at him, jerking her arm free.  
  
"Why are you coming with me?" She demanded as they walked across the lobby to the concierge.  
  
"In case you haven't noticed," Squid snapped. "Everybody has hooked up except us. So we're automatically put together."  
  
"Well that's stupid." Star said.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Squid agreed. They reached the desk.  
  
"Hi, we've got reservations." Star told the woman.  
  
The woman smiled at them broadly "Honeymoon? So young to be married!" She said in broken English. "You make such cute couple!"  
  
Star blushed. "Actually, we're not together." She explained. "We're here with a whole bunch of people. The reservation is under Sherry Watkins."  
  
"Four rooms?" The woman asked. Star nodded. "Here your keys. Enjoy stay."  
  
"Thank you." Star said politely. They returned to their group. "Here are our keys. We're on the fourth floor."  
  
They reached their rooms, split into the same groups they'd been in earlier, and parted.  
  
"Wow, look at this amazing view." Apple sighed dreamily, pulling aside the curtains and peering out the huge picture window. The snowy mountains were behind them, and the moon cast pale shadows on the snow.  
  
"Do you think they speak English here?" Minx asked, pulling off her coat and hanging it up in the closet.  
  
"I'm sure at least the people who work here do." Star said, kicking off her shoes and pulling on her tank top and shorts.  
  
"Oh my god. Look at Fidget." Apple giggled. Fidget was fast asleep already. "She's out of it."  
  
"She looked tired on the plane." Minx pointed out. Then she yawned. "I'm tired too. Nighty night." And she crawled into bed. Star turned out the light, and they all went to sleep.  
  
They slept in the next morning. Magnet and Caveman showed up around eight, beating on the door.  
  
"Come on!" Magnet urged when Star sleepily opened the door. "We're gonna go hit the slopes! None of us can snowboard, but we're gonna try to at least ski."  
  
"No thanks." Star shook her head. "We're going to sleep in a little bit more and order room service. Then we might go to the spa or something. Meet us here at seven for dinner. Kay?" And she shut the door in their faces and crawled back into the bed she was sharing with Minx.  
  
"Who was it?" Minx asked sleepily.  
  
"Your boyfriend." Star said, rolling over and going back to sleep.  
  
The other girls appeared around nine thirty, all still in their nightgowns and robes. They all sat on the two beds, piled among pillows and blankets, while Star ordered room service for breakfast.  
  
"So what are we going to do today?" Jewel asked, absently playing with Link's blonde curls.  
  
"There's a spa on the bottom floor, underneath the lobby." Star said, putting the phone back into it's cradle. "I thought we could check it out."  
  
"Sounds great." Rogue agreed, smiling. It was amazing how much prettier she had become now that she'd started smiling.  
  
So after breakfast, they put on shorts, tank tops, and flip flops and headed downstairs to the spa.  
  
"Can I help ladies?" The woman asked in a thick Swedish accent.  
  
"Yeah, um, we want everything. The full works." Star said, counting everyone behind her. "There are eight of us."  
  
"Expensive for such little ladies." The woman said, raising an eyebrow in question.  
  
"We've got cash." Star's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Very well. Full works." The woman nodded, and Star handed her the money. "Brenda will show you to first room."  
  
The next morning, they all ate breakfast in the dining room downstairs, then went out to the slopes. They returned for lunch around noon.  
  
"Let's go into town and see a movie." Kitty suggested as they paid for their lunch.  
  
"It'll probably be in Swedish." Star warned.  
  
"I don't care." Kitty said. "Is everybody coming?" There was a murmur of assent.  
  
"I'm not gonna." Star said, shaking her head. "I'm going to go back out onto the slopes. See if I can find somebody to race me on snowboarding."  
  
"I'm not going to go either." Squid said. Everyone gave him a funny look, but they didn't say anything. "I'm not about to go get in the middle of all your mushy stuff." They all laughed.  
  
"Suit yourself." Zero waved. "Bye!"  
  
"See ya." Star muttered to Squid. Then she stopped. "Unless you wanna race me."  
  
"I don't snowboard." Squid said.  
  
"But you ski, right?" Star wheedled. "Come on! It won't hurt anything! Just a couple of runs! Please!"  
  
"All right!" Squid snapped. "But only if it'll get you off my back for a while." Star grinned.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
It was dark by the time they finally reached the bottom of their last run. Star shaded her eyes and looked around.  
  
"Where are we?" She asked.  
  
"I dunno." Squid shrugged, also looking around. "I can't see the lodge anywhere."  
  
"Me neither." Star bit her lip. She was starting to get worried. "What should we do, Squid?"  
  
"Radio the lodge." Squid shrugged. "Get them to send somebody out to get us." He picked up the radio attached to his belt loop (convenient, eh?) and pressed the button. "Yeah, me and my...friend are lost on the mountain. Can you send somebody to get us?"  
  
"Ya." The voice said. Squid put the radio back and looked at Star, who was starting to shiver.  
  
"I guess we wait." He shrugged.  
  
And they did wait. For a LONG, LONG time. It was nearing eight o'clock when the snowmobile finally reached them.  
  
"Hop on!" The guy driving said. There was no room in the front seat, and there was only one seat in the back. "One will sit in other's lap, ya?"  
  
"Whatever." Star grumbled, climbing onto Squid's lap. She felt tingly, and she didn't like it at all. Her heart was pounding a million miles a minute, but so was his. She could feel it even through their thick coats. They started off back towards the lodge, which was far, far away they could see now.  
  
"Turn around." Squid said.  
  
"Why?" Star demanded.  
  
"I want to talk to you, and I don't like whispering in your ear." Squid grumbled. "It makes me feel stupid."  
  
"You are." Star snapped, but she turned around and straddled him anyway. It felt awkward, almost seductive. "What?"  
  
"Why do we have to do it this way?" He asked.  
  
"Do what?" Star asked, confused. "What way?"  
  
"I like you Star." Squid said firmly, taking hold of her lower arms and staring straight into her eyes. "In fact, I think I might even be in love with you."  
  
Star didn't know what to say. She looked away nervously, but he turned her head so she was looking at him. Then he leaned forward and kissed her. It was deep and passionate, unlike their truth or dare kiss. Star found herself liking it more and more, and she closed her eyes and melted into the kiss.  
  
Squid finally pulled away. They remained looking at each other, their faces only inches apart.  
  
"I love you, Star." Squid said gently, brushing back a strand of her hair with his gloved hand.  
  
"Don't say that." Star whispered, her dark eyes boring into his. "I think I'm falling in love with you too, and I don't want to be."  
  
"Only God could stop me from loving you." Squid whispered.  
  
Star threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his collar, crying. Squid held her close. He wanted her more than he'd ever wanted anything, but he was willing to wait to get her. She was a catch, that was for sure.  
  
Finally her breathing became regular; she'd stopped crying. But she remained with her arms wrapped around his neck, allowing him to hold her. He was hard; she could feel it. But he was also being so gentle with her; something she'd longed for for a long time.  
  
"Star." Squid finally shook her. "We're back at the lodge." She raised her head up, her tears frozen down her face and snow sticking in her hair. He lifted her down, then climbed out. She carefully slipped her hand in his.  
  
"Come on." She said softly. They went upstairs to Star's room. It was deserted. "I guess they're not back yet." She said.  
  
"Yeah." Squid agreed. He was feeling nervous now that they were back in the light. It was so much easier to confess love in the dark. It seemed more romantic, as well.  
  
"Do you want something to drink?" Star offered, no traces of her tears left now. She was just as businesslike and brisk as before. "Coffee? Cocoa?"  
  
"Nah." Squid replied, taking off his coat and shoes.  
  
"Getting comfy?" Star asked, arching an eyebrow and removing her coat. She hung it in the closet, and placed her shoes in there along with it. Then she came and sat down on the bed beside Squid. "This doesn't change anything between us, okay?" She said seriously.  
  
Squid reached up and gingerly touched her face. It was cold, just like his hands. Star took her hand and held his to her cheek, leaning into it, closing her eyes. "Yes it does." He whispered, kissing her gingerly on the lips.  
  
Her eyes fluttered open. "No one knows about this, okay?" She said finally. "Do you know how much grief we'll get?"  
  
"Yeah." Squid laughed. He yawned, then laid down on one side of the bed. He patted the spot in front of him, and Star curled up with him. He wrapped one arm over her, and she held his hand. And they fell asleep that way.  
  
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"Wow, that movie was so good!" Minx giggled, her arms wrapped around Magnet as they all staggered into the elevator around eleven that evening.  
  
"I couldn't understand a word anybody said!" Twitch exclaimed, and they all laughed hysterically. (an. You know when it feels like you get drunk off of air? Well that's what happened to them!)  
  
"Me neither!" Fidget giggled. They reached their rooms. "I'm gonna go to Rogue's room to spend the night." She told Apple and Minx.  
  
"Kay." Apple replied, unlocking the door. Then she stopped and shushed Minx, who was singing loudly. "Look!"  
  
"Oh my god!" Minx grinned broadly, catching sight of Star and Squid curled up together on the bed, fast asleep. "That is the cutest thing I've ever seen!"  
  
"We have to go tell the boys!" Apple whispered, also grinning.  
  
"Maybe we shouldn't." Minx said, frowning. "What if they get mad or embarrassed?" She sounded worried.  
  
"Maybe you're right." Apple agreed.  
  
"I think we should spend the night in other rooms tonight." Minx suggested. She and Apple grabbed their nightclothes and went next door to the other girls' room.  
  
"Squid and Star are in our room." Apple explained as they changed for bed. They had made pallets on the floor.  
  
"They had sex?" Kitty demanded incredulously.  
  
"Hell no!" Minx giggled. "They just fell asleep on one of the beds and we didn't want to disturb them. That's all."  
  
"Oh." Kitty seemed slightly disappointed. (an. Die kitty! Sry. Don't know y im so against that grl)  
  
So they turned out the light and they all went to bed.  
  
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Hee hee!! Getting interesting yet?? I gotta go clean my room now! GAG!! Hopefully I'm goin to the movies 2nite! Hope so!! Read and review por favor (especially review) cuz it makes me HAPPY!! 


	15. Jewel's request

Hee hee!! YAY!! Yes, Thorn, Star and Squid are finally together!! (but did u have ne doubt?? Lol) what do a bunch of teenage delinquents do with a whole buncha money?? HA HA!! Read on and find out!! I don't own ne thing that's not mine, okay?? LUVS!!! READ!!!  
  
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Star woke up to sunlight streaming through the window across her face. She stretched luxuriously, careful not to wake Squid, who was sleeping peacefully beside her. She glanced over at the alarm clock beside the bed, then did a double take.  
  
"Oh my god!" She shrieked, nearly falling off the bed in her effort to disentangle herself from the blanket they'd been sleeping under.  
  
"Huh?" Squid rubbed his head sleepily and looked up at her. "What's going on?"  
  
"It's eleven o'clock!" Star said hysterically, shoving his coat and boots into his hands. "What is everybody gonna think?"  
  
"Why are do you care what they think?" Squid asked reasonably.  
  
"I just do." She retorted. He ran his hands through his messy hair and smiled shyly at her.  
  
"Well I'm gonna go take a shower." He said, kissing her gently on the cheek. "See you at dinner, okay?"  
  
"Okay." Star said reluctantly. Despite her worries, she didn't want him to leave. She was afraid that if he went, she'd never see him again. (stupid, she knew)  
  
As soon as the door shut, she got in the shower. She got dressed in a pair of jeans and over-sized black sweater and was drying her hair when the door opened and Apple and Minx came in, talking animatedly. They stopped when they saw her.  
  
"Hi guys." Star said, playing with her hair brush awkwardly.  
  
"Hey." Apple muttered. They stood there staring at each other as though they'd never met before.  
  
"So, did you have fun last night?" Minx asked with an arched eyebrow, wriggling out of her coat and setting it down on the bed.  
  
"We just talked." Star said. She couldn't believe why Minx and Apple were acting so cold towards her. What had she done?  
  
"Are you sure?" Apple pressed.  
  
"Of course I'm sure!" Star explained. "Don't you believe me?"  
  
"Of course we do!" Minx assured her, grinning lop-sidedly. "Now spill! We want details!"  
  
So they ordered room service and sat in the room talking all afternoon long.  
  
Jewel came to the door around five. She had curled her hair, and it looked amazing. Then again, Jewel always did.  
  
"Hey Star, I have a favor to ask you." Jewel said, leaning on the door frame. She was wearing really big silver hoops, and they reached her shoulders. Star looked at her expectantly. "Well, do you know where we're going after this?"  
  
"No, I haven't decided yet." Star admitted. "Saturday is our last day here, and I've really gotta make reservations for somewhere else."  
  
"Well, my birthday is next week." Jewel said. "I was wondering if maybe we could take a trip to Jamaica, for me."  
  
"Your birthday is next week?" Apple asked.  
  
"Yeah," Jewel nodded, smiling. "I'm gonna be seventeen. God, it makes me feel old." They all giggled.  
  
"Yeah, that's an awesome idea." Star nodded, rolling off the bed and going over to the computer. "I'll make the reservations right now."  
  
"Thanks!" Jewel grinned broadly, her shimmery pink lip gloss glimmering. "You're the best Star! See you guys at dinner!" And she disappeared next door to her own room.  
  
"My birthday is in January." Apple said, leaning over Star's shoulder and watching her type. "Do I get to choose a place to go, too?"  
  
"If you want." Star giggled. "There. Our plane leaves on Saturday for Jamaica! It'll be nice and warm there!"  
  
"We can work on our tans!" Minx declared.  
  
That evening, they all met in the hotel restaurant for dinner. Squid and Star avoided each other, though for what reason they couldn't say.  
  
"Star, why aren't you sitting by him?" Minx whispered furiously as they took their seats. Then she raised her voice. "Magnet, come trade seats with Star so I can sit by you."  
  
"Okay." Magnet agreed, grinning. Star glared at Minx, who only smiled innocently. That forced Star to sit by Squid.  
  
"You know what they're trying to do, don't you?" Squid whispered as they hid behind their large menus.  
  
"Yeah." Star sighed exasperatedly. "And I wish they'd stop. It's getting to be annoying."  
  
"And it's only day one of our relationship." Squid grinned.  
  
Star fixed him with a sly look. "Who says we're going out?" She asked, arching her eyebrows. (AN I like sayin that!!)  
  
"Aren't we?" Squid asked, looking slightly hurt. Star felt bad for teasing him.  
  
"Of course we are." She assured him, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. (AN I said HAND) "I was just playing."  
  
"Good." Squid smiled, pecking her lightly on the cheek. He had SUCH a cute smile. (AN What can I say, Jake Smith really is a hottie!!)  
  
"Ooh, are ya'll making out ova there?" Armpit called, grinning.  
  
"Oh grow up." Star rolled her eyes, but she was blushing slightly.  
  
That Saturday morning, they checked out of the Swedish lodge and took one of the taxi-vans to the airport.  
  
"So are you and Squid officially an item now?" Minx asked once they'd settled into their seats on the plane. Star was sitting in between her and Apple, and Apple had the window seat.  
  
Star looked backwards at Squid, who was laughing and joking around with X- ray and Armpit. "Yeah," She admitted. "I guess we are." Then she looked at her two best friends gravely. "And don't you DARE say 'I told you so'."  
  
"We won't." Apple said mischievously, then she and Minx giggled profusely.  
  
They landed in Montego Bay early the next afternoon. They had all exchanged their long pants and sweaters and hats for shorts/skirts, tank tops, and sunglasses.  
  
"It's so warm!" Jewel said cheerfully, throwing out her arms and twirling around. Her lavender checked purse swung wildly around her wrist.  
  
"Our hotel is right here." Star said. "Come on, let's go check in."  
  
They had the same rooming assignments. (AN from now on they'll always have the same people in their rooms, just cause it works out. So im not gonna say it nemore, k?)  
  
"Hey Jewel, why don't you go down to the hotel pool and hang for a little while?" Kitty suggested.  
  
"Why?" Jewel asked suspiciously.  
  
"So we can buy your birthday presents of course!" Kitty said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"Oh!" Jewel grinned. "Well, I HAVE been waiting for a chance to wear that new bathing suit I bought in Australia."  
  
"Go!" Link pushed her away. "Have fun!"  
  
"We'll meet you at the pool at five!" Rogue said, waving.  
  
They split into groups of boys and girls and went shopping. They came back to the hotel at four forty-five, then split up to change into the bathing suits they'd bought back in Australia.  
  
"That is the cutest suit!" Apple complimented Minx.  
  
"Really? I wasn't sure about it." Minx giggled. She had on a pale pink two- piece with boy-cut bottoms and a halter top/ bikini top. (AN you know the kind that's like a bikini but the straps go all the way up and tie behind the neck instead of turning into strings? That's what this is!) "Yours is cute too."  
  
"Thanks!" Apple grinned. Her bathing suit was a lime green tankini with no back that tied with a string. She had matching sunglasses pushed up into her hair. They both turned to Star, then threw up their hands in disgust.  
  
"What?" Star demanded, looking at herself furiously in the mirror. "Do I look bad?" Her bathing suit was a black bikini with silver piping, and she had cut-off jean shorts pulled over them. Her hair was in a black butterfly clip.  
  
"No. You look gorgeous." Minx said, sighing.  
  
"As usual!" Apple added, and they all giggled.  
  
"Ha! I wish." Star laughed. Just then Fidget tumbled from the bathroom, tying her hair into a sloppy knot at the nape of her neck. Her bathing suit was bright orange and decorated with suns. It had boy-cut bottoms and one of the tops that just goes straight across and has white straps.  
  
"Let's go get the other girls." Apple suggested. So they headed down the hall to the other girls' hotel room. They knocked, and Link let them in.  
  
She was wearing a baby blue one piece with no back and a see-through middle. Her curls were pulled back into low-pigtails and she had a white wrap tied about her tiny waist. She was adorable. Rogue was sitting on one of the beds, tying her hair into a ponytail as usual. Even though she was only thirteen (and the second youngest member of the entire group) she was one of the more buxom ones. She was wearing a strapless black two piece, and she had shorts pulled over the bottoms. She looked amazing, as well. Kitty, who (even as the third oldest girl at sixteen) wasn't very busty (AN ha ha!!), was wearing a bikini to try and make herself look bigger.  
  
"You guys ready to go?" Mink asked, shaking back her long braid.  
  
"Yeah." Rogue nodded. They left the room and rode the elevator down to the lobby level, where the outside pool was located.  
  
"I'm in heaven," X-ray muttered to Squid and Armpit as the girls approached. Yeah Jewel was gorgeous in her lavender bikini, but with all these hot girls around him, he couldn't help but feel turned on.  
  
The day after next, December twelfth in their normal time zone, was Jewel's birthday. The girls ordered room service and they hung out in the room until noon. Then they all met for a small luncheon in a private room off the dining room, where they exchanged gifts.  
  
"Oh my god, this is amazing!" Jewel gushed as she opened her first present, which was from Link. It was a pretty lavender dress, strapless, and it had a filmy layer over the skirt. It had a sort of retro look to it, since the waist line was right below the chest. "And it's just my size, too."  
  
"I hoped you would like it!" Link beamed, grinning up at Armpit.  
  
"Open mine next," Kitty said, shoving a wrapped rectangle box toward Jewel. "It goes with Link's gift."  
  
Jewel opened it and held up a pair of shoes. They were strappy stiletto heels, and they were the exact color of the dress. "Oh my god!" Jewel exclaimed.  
  
From Star, she received a pretty sterling silver cross inlaid with lavender beads, to go with the dress. Apple gave her a little basket of lavender- vanilla aromatherapy things from Bath and Body Works. Minx gave her a huge teddy bear with big black eyes. She got a silk-covered diary, with her name engraved on the front, from Rogue. And from Fidget, she received a whole bag full of candy. All the boys gave her jewelry they picked up from Claire's, or The Icing. Except X-ray. He gave her a pretty gold ring, with a small diamond in the middle of it. (AN if u cant tell that Jewel's favorite color is lavender, then ur too stupid to be reading me story!! Lol jk!)  
  
"It's almost like an engagement ring!" Jewel gushed, slipping it onto her finger and admiring it fondly. "Oh, thank you X-ray!"  
  
"Engagement?" X-ray repeated, looking slightly dazed.  
  
"I'm only joking!" Jewel giggled. Then she hugged them all. "Thank you so much! I was sure my seventeenth birthday was going to be a total dud!"  
  
"We'd do anything for you, Jewel!" Link giggled, hugging her best friend.  
  
As soon as they'd finished eating, the girls returned to their rooms to get ready for that evening.  
  
"I call first shower!" Star called, dashing into the bathroom.  
  
"No fair!" Fidget groaned.  
  
As soon as they were all ready, they met in the lobby and got a taxi. Then they went to a fancy restaurant, where they had reservations.  
  
"Can we afford this?" Jewel whispered to Star as the waiter led them to a large, round table decorated with candles as a centerpiece.  
  
"We're thieves, Jewel." Star replied confidently, allowing Squid to pull out her chair for her. "Everything's under control."  
  
The restaurant was one large room, with a dance floor in the very middle of it. A few older couples were dancing, but that was it.  
  
"What kind of music are they playing?" Fidget asked in disgust.  
  
"I think we can do something about this." X-ray grinned. "Squid, come with me." Squid shrugged at Star, then got up and followed X-ray away through the restaurant.  
  
They returned a few minutes later, and no sooner had they sat down, then rap music began to play. Most of the people in the restaurant looked shocked to hear Fifty-Cent playing instead of Mozart.  
  
"How'd you get them to play that?" Rogue demanded incredulously.  
  
"A little bit of cash goes a long, long way." X-ray grinned. Then he stood up. "May I have this dance?" He asked, offering his hand to Jewel. She giggled profusely, nodded, and followed him onto the dance floor. Though Jewel was a lot better at basketball, she was pretty good at dancing, too. Her curvy body made all the appropriate suggestions, and X-ray was living it up.  
  
"Come on, Magnet," Minx said, getting to her feet. Her filmy hot-pink dress was retro-ish like Jewel's. It was flowy, and her hair had been curled so that her pretty ringlets moved every time she did. "Let's dance too!"  
  
Before long, they were all out on the dance floor except Armpit and Link, who both refused to dance. Apple and Caveman were the biggest hit. Apple had been dancing since she was about seven, and she knew exactly how to make her body move the right way.  
  
A slow song came on after that, by 3 Doors Down. Some other people got up to dance this time.  
  
Star wrapped her arms around Squid's neck and rested her head on his chest (he was a lot taller than her).  
  
"They make such a cute couple." Apple whispered to Caveman, her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, we do." He agreed, and he kissed her gently on the lips.  
  
"You look...very pretty." Zero stammered as he danced with Rogue.  
  
"Thank you." She murmured. Her dress was short, black, and backless. Black ribbons laced up the back. Her shoes were knee-high black boots, and her hair was down (for the first time any of them had seen).  
  
"Oh look, our food's here!" Fidget said, her mouth watering. She took Twitch's hand and led the way back to the table, her long fiery orange skirt swishing as she walked.  
  
After they'd finished eating, X-ray ordered a bottle of wine, agreeing to pay three-times the menu-price because they were underage.  
  
They were all wild by the time they finished their desert, and when Destiny's Child's 'Jumpin Jumpin' came on, they flew out to dance.  
  
They finally left the restaurant around midnight, laughing hysterically at every little thing anybody said.  
  
They all fell into bed as soon as they reached their rooms, and woke up the next morning with hangovers.  
  
Minx got out of the shower around noon. The room was empty except for Star, who was typing on the computer.  
  
"Where are we going next?" Minx asked, getting dressed.  
  
"Well, my birthday's next, so I get to choose!" Star grinned impishly.  
  
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Hee hee!! Can you tell I like to tell what people are wearing?? I'm SUCH a fashion freak!! Okay, you better review cuz I won't post again until I have ten more reviews!! And check out my other storiez too!! I've got another holes one up, but I don't remember wut it's called!! Something lives.Destroyed Lives, I think. READ AND REVIEW!! 


	16. enemies and tears

Hee hee!! Sry I haven't posted in like 4ever...I've been at my mom's and I never post there. don't know y. guess juss cuz I don't. 'Venus Hum' rules!! That's what we're doing our Winterguard show to, 'the bells'. awesome awesome! Wg rules!! Kay, read and review, cuz I expect to have 35 reviews afore I post another chappie. And I'll be postin lots since xmas break is comin up!! Okay, enough with my blabbin, rite? I'll shut up and letcha read now!  
  
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They arrived at the airport in Paris, France the next day.  
  
"Try to be to inconspicuous." Star warned, pulling her backwards black baseball cap onto her head.  
  
"We're a big group of American teenagers," Apple pointed out dryly. "We're going to be conspicuous no matter what we do."  
  
"That's why I said TRY." Star replied.  
  
"Let's just get a taxi and go to our hotel." Minx said, wincing. She was leaning heavily on Magnet. "My feet kill."  
  
"You're the one who just HAD to borrow my new boots." Kitty folded her arms crossly. "I told you that they were too big for you."  
  
"But they were cute." Minx sighed wistfully.  
  
"Look, there's one of those taxi-vans that can hold all of us and our stuff." X-ray pointed, then hailed it down.  
  
"Bonjour!" The taxi-driver greeted them.  
  
"Uh, we need to go to the Plaza Hotel (AN. I don't know any names of any hotels in any part of France, so we're juss gonna pretend, savvy?)." Star said, reciting the name from memory.  
  
"Oui." The driver nodded, loading their bags into the back of the van. They all climbed inside, piling on top of one another to make room for everyone.  
  
They arrived at the hotel, a huge palace-like affair, about fifteen minutes later. They checked in and went up to their rooms.  
  
"Where should we go for dinner?" Fidget asked, dropping her backpack onto one of the beds. Minx sat down and released her feet from the prison of Kitty's borrowed boots.  
  
"I say we order room service." Apple suggested. "Since we're going to have such a busy day tomorrow. It is, afterall, Star's birthday." Star grinned wickedly into the mirror.  
  
"We are so definitely going to the Eiffel Tower and NO museums." She said firmly.  
  
So they stayed in their rooms and had room service for dinner, and then they took showers and all went to bed.  
  
They woke up around seven the next morning. They gathered in the lobby of the hotel, all wearing hats and sunglasses.  
  
"Happy birthday," Squid kissed her gently on the lips. Star blushed, and everyone else exchanged grins.  
  
"Okay, so I was thinking we could go to this little café for breakfast," Minx said, taking charge of everything. "Then we'll go straight on to the Eiffel Tower."  
  
"Sounds good!" They all agreed. So they walked leisurely to a small sidewalk café, mostly empty inside, and sat down at three or four small round, dark green tables. They ordered a lot of sugary pastries and ate until they couldn't eat any more.  
  
Then they walked to the Eiffel Tower, talking and laughing the entire time.  
  
"So, what are you gonna do to mark this wonderful turning-point in your life, Star?" ZigZag joked, holding Kitty's hand in his own. He was wearing baggy khaki's and an unbuttoned collared shirt over a white undershirt. He was pretty hot.  
  
"Hey, it's not that BIG of a turning point," Jewel pouted playfully. "I've been seventeen for three days!" She looked gorgeous, as usual, in a short lavender skirt, a tight plain black t-shirt, and white sneakers.  
  
"He was only joking," X-ray explained, giving her hand a slight squeeze. She smiled shyly at him, then pecked him lightly on the cheek.  
  
"Well, what's your answer?" Kitty pressed, her gaze never wavering from Star's upturned face. She was wearing a pair of jeans, a loose black tank- top with a strap that fell down her arm continually, and combat boots. A black crocheted hat was pulled down over her short black hair, and she was wearing her bright red lipstick again.  
  
"Answer to what?" Star demanded airily, closing the elevator doors and pressing the up button. She never paid too much attention to ZigZag and Kitty anyway. (AN sry, I'll try to be a bit nice to kitty from now on, savvy?)  
  
"To Ziggy's question." Kitty said, her hand wrapped protectively about ZigZag's arm like she would never let go. "What are you gonna do?"  
  
"I'm going to the Eiffel tower, that's what." Star rolled her eyes.  
  
"Ugh, Minx! That is SO gross!" Link cried suddenly, burying her face in Armpit's vast chest.  
  
"What?" Minx asked, pretending to be completely innocent. She was wrapped intricately in Magnet's arms. She was very pretty today in silky pink pants, a tight black blouse, and ballet shoes. Her hair was in two braids hanging down her back, tied with pink ribbons.  
  
"You were kissing Magnet and I SAW your tongue before you put it into his mouth!" Link said in a muffled voice. "I don't care if you do it, I just don't want to see it! I've been scarred for life!" They all laughed.  
  
"Don't worry," Armpit told her consolingly, stroking her blonde curls more gently than anyone could have ever imagined him being. "I won't let them do it anymore."  
  
"Thanks," Link mumbled gratefully, and she buried herself in his hug.  
  
"Oh my god...I think I'm gonna blow chunks." Rogue turned away from the open-air walls. The elevator had walls, but they were iron links so that the air was blowing through. "I am SO terrified of heights."  
  
"I'll protect you." Zero said bravely. They all smiled at one another, but Rogue was grateful nonetheless.  
  
"I wonder if we can make it sway..." Twitch said thoughtfully. Without saying anything else, he and Fidget (AN. I know u don't like fidget Emili but apple does so u have 2 too!) began rocking back and forth. The elevator started swaying precariously.  
  
"If you don't stop, I really am gonna hurl!" Rogue threatened.  
  
"Me too." Link agreed.  
  
"Aww, ya'll are no fun." Fidget complained moodily, slumping against one of the walls and folding her arms in front of her chest. She was wearing a pair of cut-off blue jean capris (AN. Why are pants a pair when there's only one of them??), a bright orange spaghetti-strap tank top, and heelless white sneakers with bright orange laces.  
  
Kitty hissed at her, so Fidget bared her teeth.  
  
"Oh grow up, all of you." Jewel said airily, patting her bun primly.  
  
Apple and Minx just rolled their eyes at each other and smiled.  
  
They reached the top of the tower a few minutes later. They all crowded out onto the balcony-like thing around the top, peering gleefully over the edge. Except Rogue, who stayed close by the wall, and Zero, who fluttered nervously around her.  
  
"Star, I think we should talk." Squid said as they all separated and went their own separate ways.  
  
"Talk?" Star repeated. That NEVER sounds like a good thing, even coming from a guy. "About what?"  
  
"I...I'm not comfortable with all this PDA." (AN. In case ne of u don't kno, PDA stands for Public Display of Affection.) Squid said in a low voice, the wind rustling through his dark brown hair.  
  
"PDA?" Star could hardly believe what he was saying.  
  
"Yeah, I mean Magnet and Zig and X and all them can go around holding hands and kissing on their girls all they want," Squid said. "But I'm not really one of those guys who likes to make-out twenty-four-seven."  
  
"In case you've forgotten, SQUID," Star spat his name through clenched teeth. "You're the one who's been kissing me, and holding my hand. I've never made the first move, EVER."  
  
"That's not true," Squid disagreed, his face going quite red.  
  
"It is so!" Star said, her voice raising despite her efforts to keep it under control. Apple and Caveman, who were standing nearby, glanced over at them nervously. "And you know it!"  
  
"Well I want both of us to stop doing it then!" Squid said hotly, struggling to control his own deep, southern baritone.  
  
"Fine!" Star said, her voice suddenly dangerously low. "We're through then. For good!" And she turned on her heel and fled. Squid stared after her, then leaned heavily on the railing. (AN. Ha ha!! U thought they'd gotten over all that I-hate-you-and-you-hate-me stuff, but they haven't!!! Muhahahahahahaha! I feel evil again!)  
  
While everyone, except Star and Squid, was enjoying their time at the Eiffel Tower, they failed to notice the arrival of three very important people from their past.  
  
"You know they're here somewhere," Sheila muttered under her breath, pulling her cowboy hat down low over her dark eyes. Her bright red lipstick shone like a beacon on a stormy sea. "The ticket man said he saw them."  
  
"I'm tired of chasing the little monsters," Will growled, his bald head shining in the bright morning sunlight. "With the way they've been gallivanting around, there's probably only half of our cash left now."  
  
"Stealing from a pirate." Harry said, laughing in a bemused sort of way. "It's kind of ironic, isn't it?"  
  
"No." Sheila said sharply. Harry lost his grin and looked down at the ground.  
  
"There's one." Will said, indicating Fidget. She stood laughing uproariously at Twitch, who was chasing a pigeon.  
  
Without further ado, Sheila and Harry marched up to Fidget, grabbed her by the arms, and held out over the railing.  
  
Fidget's cries of protest quickly became screams of terror as she realized there was 80,000 (AN. Omg that is sooo not right, but we'll just pretend that's how high the Eiffel Tower is, kay?) feet between her and the ground.  
  
"Fidget!" Twitch yelled at the top of his lungs. He raced forward and gave all his might to get past Will, standing like a bodyguard in front of Sheila and Harry. Will was, however, much larger and stronger than he was, and Twitch wasn't making much progress.  
  
"Fidget!" Star shrieked at the top of her lungs. She had just come around the corner from her fight with Squid. Her baseball cap was askew and the wind was tearing relentlessly at her hair.  
  
"Help me!" Fidget cried, her entire body trembling as her legs waved furiously about, trying to get a hold on something. They couldn't reach anything, not even the railing.  
  
"Oh my god!" Link exclaimed, coming around the corner hand-in-hand with Armpit. "They're going to kill her!" And tears started streaming down her face.  
  
It was never clear to any of them if Armpit was trying to prove himself to Link, or if he was just acting rashly. Letting a tremendous roar out of his mouth, he took off running toward the three startled pirates. The others all saw it in slow-motion. He tackled Harry, who let go of Fidget. Then both Armpit and Harry went tumbling over the side of the balcony. Will grabbed Sheila's wrist and yanked her back. They both landed in a heap on the floor. Sheila let go of Fidget's arm and Fidget let out another shriek as she dropped. She caught the railing with one hand, then managed to get the other one up there.  
  
"Help me!" She cried, tears streaking down her perfectly white face as she clung to the stone railing for dear life.  
  
Star and Minx rushed up and pulled Fidget to safety. The three of them lay in a heap on the ground, gasping for breath and trembling uncontrollably. The rest of them gathered around the railing just in time to hear a sickening splat on the ground far, far below.  
  
"Armpit!" Link wailed, screwing her eyes shut. Her knees buckled and she fell backwards. ZigZag and X-ray caught her and set her down gently on the ground with Minx, Star, and Fidget. They all hugged each other. Everyone was deathly silent except for Link, who sobbed uncontrollably.  
  
"Where's Will and Sheila?" Zero asked suddenly. They all looked up at the spot where the two remaining pirates had just been. (All except Link, who didn't care anymore.) They were gone.  
  
"They'll be back." Star said grimly, climbing to her feet and pulling Fidget up after her. "We've got to get back to the hotel immediately."  
  
"What about Armpit?" Link sobbed, her tiny shoulders shaking with emotion.  
  
"He's gone, sweetie." Minx said gently, resting her arm on Link's shoulder. Link bit her lip and sniffed loudly, as though she knew it were true.  
  
"Let's go." Star led the way to the elevator. "Jewel, Kitty. Help Link, all right? She needs you right now."  
  
Kitty nodded solemnly, putting Link's arm around her shoulder and lifting her up with Jewel's help.  
  
They returned swiftly and unobtrusively to the hotel. They gathered in Star's room and remained the whole rest of the day.  
  
"It's time for the six o'clock news." Squid said grimly. "I think we ought to watch, just in case."  
  
"Channel three here is an American station." Apple said. She was cuddled up to Caveman and looked very serious. Squid turned the TV onto channel three and they all gathered on the beds to watch it.  
  
"And today, a horrible accident happened at the Eiffel Tower." The newscaster said. She was a woman with short, slicked back blonde hair wearing a crisp business suit and holding a microphone close to her lips, free of lipstick.  
  
"Just in time." Magnet muttered sadly, and Minx snuggled up closer, her face pale and grim.  
  
"A group of sixteen American teenagers, apparently here on vacation, were not all they seemed." The newscaster continued. "All of them are from Texas in the United States, and they were all admitted to Camp Green Lake, a correctional facility for juvenile delinquents. All of them had records of high crime, some even murder."  
  
"They make us sound like cold-blooded killers." ZigZag shook his head sadly.  
  
"Some of us are." Rogue said softly.  
  
"Killing the owner and second in command of the camp," The newscaster went on grimly. "The sixteen children, ranging in ages from thirteen to seventeen, hotwired a vehicle and ran away from the camp. They soon fell into the company of some pirates. Apparently stealing from the pirates, they ran away and have been on a shopping spree all around the world."  
  
"We haven't been all over the world." Minx said disgust. "If we had, I would definitely have me some Italian furs."  
  
"Today they were spotted at the Eiffel Tower," The newscaster went on importantly. "Obviously intent on enjoying a nice relaxing day of sight- seeing. Then three people, two men and a woman, appeared. They took one of the delinquents and threatened her by dangling her over the edge of the Tower. Another one of the delinquents, a fifteen year old African American boy, took a running leap. He fell over the side of the Tower, taking one of the young girl's captors with him. They both fell to their deaths. The police are trying to get blood and tissue samples to identify the two suspects," The woman cringed. "But they aren't have much luck."  
  
"He was a puddle of blood, that's why." Rogue whispered, and she hugged her knees tightly to her chest.  
  
"The other fifteen run-aways are still on the loose." The newscaster become suddenly more businesslike. "If you have any information on these individuals, please contact us at 555-8756." Their pictures flashed up on the screen. "Your help is greatly appreciated." Then the woman moved on to another story.  
  
They all sat staring at each other silently for a few minutes.  
  
Finally Star said, "We leave tomorrow morning."  
  
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Awww, I'm so sorry if ne of u guys reading this r armpit fans. But my bff M&M decided that I should make somebody die, so Armpit it was. At least he went out in a noble way, rite? Okay, I want 35 reviews. I honestly won't post unless I have them. That's only 6 reviews, I think. So u can do it, rite? Rite. Okay, honestly, review or I won't post, savvy? Kiwi. Alrighty, loves, I've gotta go finish algebra but I'll try to post more tomorrow cause (sniff sniff) marching band practice is over. *wails uncontrollably* I dunno about ne of u guys, but I really miss marching band practice. I still get Winterguard practice tho! 3 hrs on school nights and 12 hours on the weekends!! All nighters when we've come competitions! YAY!! This is what I live 4, ya'll!! (U have no idea how much southerners actually use that word!!) Oh, and remember to check out my other holes story, Disturbed Lives. That's the real name for it, okay? Awesome!! Okay, well I gotta run to hugs kisses luvs byeness!! 


	17. bad news

Hey hey!! 35 reviews! Good work! You've earned the next chappy!! So here ya go!! Have fun and enjoy, and don't u dare forget to review, savvs? Kiwi!!  
  
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They left Paris the next morning, December 16.  
  
"Are you sure this was necessary?" Apple asked Star in a pained voice. They were in the lobby bathroom, putting on the last of their makeup. Apple wasn't the only one who didn't like her new look. Her pretty, straight auburn locks had been permed and dyed pure black. She was wearing blood-red lipstick and tons of eyeliner. She was dressed entirely in black, from a spike necklace down to combat boots.  
  
"Of course it was necessary." Star assured her friend, but she hated the way she looked now too. Her long white-blonde hair had been cut short and streaked with mid-night blue that stood out a lot. She was wearing a short pleated skirt that matched the streaks in her hair and an open white blouse over a white wife-beater. "I don't like it much...I look like a freak."  
  
"YOU look like a freak?" Minx demanded incredulously. Her long black hair was pale blonde now, and in dreads with the tips dyed hot-pink. She was wearing hot pink leather pants, a sparkly white tube top, and white go-go boots. "Just look at me! I look like I just stepped out of the seventy's or something!"  
  
"Except for your nose ring." Fidget pointed out. Her appearance had changed drastically, since she was the one people had noticed the most at the Eiffel Tower. Her hair had been completely cut off, dyed platinum blonde, and spiked up. She was wearing baggy overalls over a ribbed tank top and flip-flops.  
  
"Yeah." Minx touched her nose lightly. It still hurt, A LOT. "I wish you hadn't made me get it done, Star."  
  
"It went with your new look." Star shrugged. "Besides, it didn't hurt THAT bad, did it? More than a bellybutton ring?"  
  
"I don't have my bellybutton pierced so I wouldn't know." Minx replied airily, applying her hot-pink shiny lip-gloss to her full lips.  
  
"Star, I don't know about this." Rogue glanced at her reflection uneasily. Her short brunette hair was golden blonde now, and she'd had extensions put in so that it reached her waist. She had a pale pink ribbon tied around her ponytail, and she was wearing a pale pink skirt and white spaghetti strap tank top. "I feel like...like a prep."  
  
"You look like one too." Kitty pointed out. Her short hair was now dark brown with dark red streaks (AN. ha ha, like mine only much shorter!!). Her makeup still looked the same. She was wearing baggy green cargo shorts over torn black fishnet stockings, a tight black t-shirt, and black chuck taylor high tops. (AN. OMG I so want some of those!! I've only got low-tops!! *sniff sniff* And I totally want this outfit I just described. I am so using xmas money to go and buy it or something!!)  
  
"Be nice, Kitty." Jewel admonished. Her hair was light blonde now, contrasting greatly to her dark skin. She had intense blue contacts now, and she was wearing a pair of tight flared jeans and a lavender tank-top. She turned to Link, who was sitting by herself in a corner with her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on her knees. She was staring absently straight ahead of her without blinking. "You okay, Link?" Jewel asked gently.  
  
"What? Oh, yeah." Link blinked once, then went back to staring. Her golden curls had been chopped off and crimped. They hung plainly to her shoulders, covering her ears. She wore a beaded necklace around her slender neck. She was dressed in a pair of baggy flowered cargo shorts, a white ribbed tank top over a bikini top, and a pair of flip flops.  
  
"Well," Star glanced at her watch. "We'd better go. Our flight leaves in an hour and a half, and you know how awful airports always are."  
  
"Come on." Kitty pulled Link to her feet. "We've gotta go now." Her voice was gentler than Star had ever heard it. (AN. ha ha, I told u I was getting nicer to her!!)  
  
They picked up their backpacks, filled with trinkets and things they'd picked up along their trip, and went out to the lobby.  
  
The boys were all waiting for them there. None of them had really changed much. They wore different clothes, but that was about it. (AN. I know it's totally weird that the girls have to change their looks so drastically and the boys don't change a bit, but I couldn't bear to change them cause then it just wouldn't be the same! Ya know??)  
  
"Let's go." Star muttered under her breath.  
  
Hours and hours later, they arrived at a dock in Hawaii, where the cruise ship they'd booked passage on was docked. They got on board, checked in, and went to their various rooms.  
  
"Does this new look mean that I have to be punky now?" Minx complained, unpacking the new swimsuits she'd bought.  
  
"Nah, you can still wear your skimpy little bikinis." Star rolled her eyes, pushing her short hair back under a backwards black baseball cap and bending over her suitcase.  
  
"When can we go to the pool?" Apple asked, tying her black hair back with a green rubber band.  
  
"We can go as soon as we finish unpacking." Star explained. "I'll just call the others and tell them where we're gonna be."  
  
"Do you think Link will come?" Fidget asked softly, unbuckling her overalls and kicking them into the corner.  
  
"I dunno." Star admitted, pulling her open blouse off her shoulders and dropping it on the bed she was sharing with Minx. "She's really upset about Armpit."  
  
"Well, she has a right to be." Apple pointed out, tying her dark green bikini top around her neck. "I mean, if anything happened to Caveman, I'd be that way too."  
  
"Ditto for Magnet." Minx sighed dreamily, pulling her dreads back into low pigtails and kicking her go-go boots off under the bed. "I don't know what I would do without him!"  
  
"Probably still be a virgin." Apple said under her breath. Minx's eyes narrowed, and Apple grinned impishly. "I'm only joking, Minx! Lighten up!"  
  
"Let's just not ever bring that subject up again." Fidget suggested brightly, pulling her boy-cut orange swimsuit bottoms up. She tied the bikini top around her neck and pulled an orange cloth headband into her short hair. Then she paused in the middle of picking up her overalls to put them on over her swimsuit. "I think I would die without Twitch, though."  
  
"What about you, Star?" Apple asked, pulling a pair of black cheerleading shorts over her bikini bottoms. "What do you think you would do without Squid?"  
  
"Be a perfectly happy person." Star snapped, pulling her black strapless two piece on roughly. "In case you didn't know, Squid and I broke up. For good!"  
  
"But you've only been going out for like a week!" Minx exclaimed incredulously. "You were going out yesterday morning!"  
  
"We broke up yesterday." Star said, turning her back to her friends and pulling a pair of cut-off jeans shorts on over her bottoms. "It was the worst birthday of my entire life, and I really don't want to talk about it." Everyone fell silent.  
  
"Do you want me to call everybody then?" Apple asked after a few minutes, perched on the end of her bed.  
  
"Whatever." Star mumbled, pulling on an over-sized t-shirt.  
  
Apple picked up the phone and dialed the other girls' number. Rogue picked up. "Hey, we're all going to the pool." Apple explained cheerfully. "You guys wanna meet us there?"  
  
"Yeah, sounds good." Rogue lowered her voice. "I'll see if we can get Link to come out too. I'm really getting worried about her."  
  
"Me too." Apple said, her voice instantly more serious. "We'll help you. Just get her to the pool on deck."  
  
"Kay." Rogue agreed. "See you in ten."  
  
"Kay." Apple replied. She hung up, then dialed the first boys' room. It was Caveman who answered, much to her delight. "We're all going to the pool. We want you guys to come too."  
  
"But there's an arcade by the dining room!" Caveman whined. "We're gonna go check it out."  
  
"Oh my god." Apple couldn't believe her ears. "Armpit just died, Link is in some kind of deep depression, and you guys are going to waste away our cruise in an ARCADE?"  
  
"Yeah, pretty much." Caveman agreed blandly.  
  
"Ugh." Apple hung up sharply.  
  
"What's up?" Minx looked up from where she was spreading sunscreen on her shoulders and face.  
  
"The boys are going to a freaking arcade instead of coming to the pool with us." Apple said, rolling her eyes heavenward.  
  
"No biggie." Fidget giggled. "We're stuck with them on a boat for two more weeks! I'm pretty sure we're gonna be sick of them by then."  
  
"You know, I think that's the smartest thing you've ever said." Star complimented Fidget, grinning broadly. "Come on. We don't need guys to have a good time. I say you flirt with some of the guys at the pool and make your boyfriends jealous."  
  
"It WOULD teach them not to take us for granted..." Minx mused. Then she grinned broadly. "Star, you are a genius."  
  
"I try." Star said modestly. "Come on." And they headed for the pool. They'd just got settled down on lawn chairs when the other four girls showed up.  
  
Kitty was leading the way confidently. She was wearing a sporty black one- piece with a black bandanna tied in her hair. Rogue was following her, leading Link. Rogue was wearing a strapless black one-piece with a see through white shirt pulled over it. Her long blonde hair was braided down her back and tied with a black ribbon. Link was wearing a pair of short khaki shorts and a collared tank top. She was probably wearing a bathing suit underneath, but she didn't look like she planned on doing much swimming. Jewel brought up the rear, urging Link along. She was wearing a lavender bikini underneath a short white cotton skirt.  
  
"Hey!" Kitty sank down onto a lawn chair heavily. "We've got to do something for Link. I'm really worried."  
  
"You too?" Star sounded surprised.  
  
"Of course I am." Kitty gave her a funny look. "Link is one of my best friends, and I want her to be happy. I mean, it upset me too that Armpit died, but it's nothing compared to her."  
  
"I know what you mean." Star agreed, taking her sunglasses off and setting them on the plastic table between her lawn chair and Kitty's.  
  
"Hey, you look so familiar!" A preppy guy said, coming up and standing between Kitty and Star. Everyone else was clustered around Link, trying to cheer her up. "You look just like those chicks on the news!"  
  
"What chicks?" Kitty asked coldly, pushing her sunglasses down on her nose and glaring up at him.  
  
"The ones that killed some people, ran away from juvy or something somewhere in the south." The guy said cheerfully. "You know, it's been all over the news since yesterday."  
  
"Sorry, we don't watch the news." Star interrupted smoothly. "We don't believe in concerning ourselves in other people's affairs." The guy just looked at her  
  
"We're vegans." Kitty added.  
  
"Oh." The guy gave them strange looks. "Uh...bye."  
  
"Vegans?" Star asked, smiling despite herself, as the boy walked away. "What does that have to do with watching the news?"  
  
"Nothing." Kitty shrugged, smiling too. "I just felt like saying it."  
  
"Well, now we've gotta go break the news to everybody else." Star sighed heavily.  
  
"What news?" Kitty asked, startled.  
  
"If that dude recognized us, then other people, people who matter, might too." Star said. "We've gotta up our disguises or something."  
  
"Oh joy." Kitty sighed heavily. "And I was just starting to like having red- streaked hair."  
  
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KK, how'd ya like? I know there's not much of a point to this chappie, but there'll be one next time. Savvy? Sweet. Okay, read and review cause it makes me happy!! AND *boo hoo* I'm still stick!! Ugh!! Okay, I gotta have 45 reviews before I post again, savs? Luvs!! 


	18. Christmas

Hey hey!! I warn u guys who are reviewing on every chapter that I won't count those, but I will right now because you didn't know!! LOL!! Anyway, I'm glad u guys like it so far. OMG I had to go out with my dad's girlfriend's family for lunch today at this restaurant. I know them pretty well, but I'm not like really, really close. We had just watched EverAfter, with Drew Barrymore. Ya know the scene where the step-sister and the setp- mom are talking to the queen and the queen mentions Cinderella's mom's name? And the step-sister gets up and walks away from the table calmly, then freaks out. Then she says "it was a bee" really calm-like. Well my dad said he'd pay me if I did it. So, during the middle of lunch in the middle of an EXTREMELY crowded restaurant, I got up calmly, walked to the middle of the dining room, and freaked out. Then I turned to everybody and said, in the calmest voice I had, "There was a bee." Everybody cracked up, but my dad STILL hasn't paid me! I got lotsa compliments on my tights tho!! I love tights!! *grins* okay, I guess I'll stop rambling now and continue on with the story, since I know that's what you really want!!  
  
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They'd bought all their Christmas presents for each other before they'd gotten on the cruise, and so when Christmas came about they were ready.  
  
Fidget was the first one up out of all of them. She yawned widely, then sat up in bed and looked around, her metallic hair shimmering in the early- morning light streaming through the suite's windows. She was wearing shorts and a matching tank top, both blue with clouds on them.  
  
"It's Christmas!" She cried suddenly, wide awake. She tumbled out of bed, trampling Apple in the process.  
  
"God, Fidget, be more careful!" Apple complained, sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily. Her black curls were pulled back at the nape of her neck, and she was wearing a short green sleeveless nightgown.  
  
"But it's Christmas!" Fidget repeated, throwing the curtains open and letting the sunlight stream in unchecked.  
  
"It's too bright!" Minx moaned, covering up her face with her pillow. She was wearing her signature pink silk nightgown with spaghetti straps and a low neckline. Her blonde dreads were in two pigtails right behind her ears.  
  
"What time is it?" Star asked, blinking into the sun and sitting up. Her hair, which reached just below her ears, was tied back in two very small pigtails. She was wearing a gray sorority t-shirt and a pair of blue cheerleading shorts. (AN. That's my favorite outfit to sleep in!!)  
  
"Seven." Fidget replied, heading for the door that led to their suite's parlor.  
  
"Hold up," Apple said. "We have to call everybody before we can start opening presents."  
  
"I'll call." Minx offered, throwing her pillow aside and picking up the phone. She hurriedly called the other three rooms, then they all got up and went into the parlor.  
  
Since theirs was the only room with a parlor, their Christmas tree had been set up there It was a rather small Christmas tree, so that it would fit in the room, but it was marvelously decorated. There were gifts piled nearly waist high under the tree.  
  
Everyone arrived within five minutes, exchanged 'merry Christmas's, and settled around the room.  
  
"I'll play Santa." X-ray offered, sitting on the floor by the presents. He was wearing a white undershirt and Sponge-Bob-Square-Pants boxers. His glasses were unusually clean.  
  
"Why do you get to be Santa?" Magnet asked. He was sitting on an armchair wearing a white wife-beater and a pair of black basketball shorts. His arm was wrapped around Minx, who was sitting slightly on his lap.  
  
"Because I'm oldest." X-ray said importantly. "Here's one for Jewel." He handed a small box to Jewel.  
  
She was wearing a pair of lavender pajama bottoms and a matching spaghetti strap tank top. Her blonde hair was pulled back into it's usual bun, and she was missing her contacts so her eyes were hazel again. She unwrapped the gift. Inside was a velvet-covered jewel box. Inside was a pretty diamond necklace in the shape of a heart. "Aww! It's so gorgeous! Thank you X-ray!" And she kissed him soundly on the cheek.  
  
"Um...Rogue. Here you go." X-ray passed a small, flat-looking present to Rogue on the opposite side of the room.  
  
She was sitting with her back against the sofa, her knees drawn up to her chest. She was wearing a pair of dark blue pajama pants with stars and moons on them and a black tank top. Her blonde hair was braided and tied with a black rubber band. She accepted the gift and glanced at the card. "From Zero." She smiled fondly at him. He was sitting next to her, wearing a pair of baggy khakis and a black t-shirt. She unwrapped a DVD. "Thank you so much, Zero." She said, giving his hand a slight squeeze.  
  
"Okay, let's get one for Star." X-ray said, leaning in amid the piles of presents. He searched for a few minutes.  
  
"What's the matter?" Kitty asked, looking up from where she was cuddling with ZigZag. She was wearing black cheerleading shorts and an oversized red t-shirt. Her hair was down, and her nails had been painted black. ZigZag was wearing a white wife-beater and a pair of dark red boxer-shorts that had Christmas trees all over them. "I know Star's got tons of presents down there. I bought her two myself." Star smiled at Kitty. She was glad they had gotten to be friends.  
  
"I can't find the one I'm looking for." X-ray muttered. He finally turned and looked at Squid, who was sitting off to the side wearing South Park boxers and a white t-shirt that only showed off his defined muscles. "Where's your present?"  
  
"I didn't put it under the tree." Squid said shortly. Everyone stared at him.  
  
"Why?" Caveman finally asked. He was sitting by Apple, who was holding his hand. He was wearing pajama pants and a big bright red Christmas t-shirt.  
  
"Because it's personal." Squid snapped, and everyone fell silent. Star was kind of glad, because she hadn't put hers for him under the tree either.  
  
"Well then, um...Link!" X-ray said quickly. He pulled out a soft, funny- shaped present and passed it to Link.  
  
She was sitting by herself, her knees drawn up to her chin. She was wearing a knee-length baby blue nightgown and white socks. Her short crimped hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, but some wisps were falling out. She accepted the gift without a word, and unwrapped it with no emotion. It was a blue teddy-bear with black button eyes. "Thank you Jewel." She said flatly, hugging the bear to her chest and staring straight ahead.  
  
"You're welcome." Jewel said softly. She was really worried about Link...The others were as well. They all exchanged concerned looks with each other.  
  
The rest of the present exchanges went quickly. Then they all got dressed and went to brunch in the ship's dining room.  
  
"Link, aren't you hungry?" Kitty asked gently. She was wearing a pair of baggy black jeans and a tight black tank top over a fish-net long-sleeved shirt. She was wearing combat boots, and her hair was pulled back under a black bandanna headband.  
  
"What?" Link looked up absently. "Um, not really. I think I'm going to go back to the room and lie down for a bit." And she excused herself quickly.  
  
"We've got to do something to cheer her up." Minx said as soon as Link was gone. "She's really, really depressed."  
  
"Who can blame her?" Apple muttered under her breath.  
  
"What can we do?" Jewel asked miserably.  
  
"Find her a new guy?" Magnet suggested. Minx kicked him under the table.  
  
"It's way too soon for that." Rogue disagreed. Though she was the second to youngest, she was probably one of the more mature.  
  
"Then what?" X-ray demanded.  
  
Nobody said anything. Nobody knew.  
  
Late that evening, they all split up. Minx and Magnet went to the arcade, though everyone knew they would spend their time making out instead of playing games. Apple and Caveman went and sat in the library, cuddled up in the dim light. Everyone else went to various places to spend their Christmas night. Link stayed in her room. Star went by to cheer her up.  
  
"You okay, Link?" She asked gently, sitting down on the bed next to Link. Link stared straight at the page of the book she was reading, not taking in a word of it.  
  
"Yeah." She muttered.  
  
"It'll be okay, Link, I promise." Star said softly, giving her friend a reassuring smile. "Armpit wouldn't have wanted you to be so miserable. He would have wanted you to go on with your life."  
  
"I don't have anything to live for anymore!" Link burst out, the first emotion she'd shown in the past week and a half.  
  
"Of course you do!" Star said, taking Link's hands in her own. "You have your friends, and your family! Armpit will have wanted you to grow up and get married, have a big family, and die an old, happy woman."  
  
"But what if I forget him?" Link said, voicing her fear.  
  
"You'll never forget him." Star assured her. "He was an unforgettable character." Link wiped her eyes and sniffed.  
  
"You're right." She said, sniffing again. A knock on the door interrupted them. "Come in!" She called, wiping her eyes again.  
  
Squid came in tentatively. "Are you okay Link?" He asked gently.  
  
"I'm fine." Link said, giving a small smile. It was a genuine smile, and both Star and Squid knew it.  
  
"That's good." Squid said, smiling back. Then he turned to Star, and his smile faded. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
"Sure." Star said, her mouth set in a grim line. She had a pretty good idea that whatever Squid wanted to talk about would end in another fight. But she had to at least give him a chance.  
  
They walked silently out on deck. It was a warm night, but more people were spending it elsewhere.  
  
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Star asked after a minute.  
  
"I wanted to apologize." Squid said. It sounded like his apology was taking a lot of effort. "I was wrong, and I was stupid." Star merely nodded. "So, I'm asking if you'll forgive me." He pulled an unwrapped jewelry box from inside his pocket and held it out, opened. Inside was a gorgeous diamond ring inlaid in gold.  
  
Star was truly touched. "Yes." She said finally, struggling to find her voice. "I forgive you." Squid smiled in a relieved way. He slid the ring onto her finger, then kissed her deeply. "I'm sorry too." She whispered. Then she broke away from their embrace. "Do you want your Christmas present now?"  
  
"You got me a Christmas present?" Squid asked, surprised. Then he shook his head. "You're present enough for me."  
  
"Of course I got you a Christmas present." Star chuckled, taking his hand. "And of course I'm going to give it to you." And she led the way to her room. She dug under her bed, which had been made up in her absence, and produced a small unwrapped jewelry box. She handed it to Squid. "Merry Christmas."  
  
Squid took the box and opened it. Inside were two gold chains. On one chain was a thin gold circle with a star cut out of the middle. On the second was the star that had been cut out of the circle, and it fit in perfectly.  
  
"For us both." She said, picking the star necklace out of the box and fastening it around her neck. "So that we can always remember we're both parts of a whole."  
  
"That's so romantic." Squid smiled ironically. "Did you know that we'd be back together when you bought it?"  
  
"I actually bought it before we broke up." Star admitted, patting the necklace gingerly and putting it under her shirt. "I kept it when we broke up because it was just too perfect."  
  
"You're just too perfect." Squid said, pulling her close and kissing her gently.  
  
"Oh, are we interrupting something?" Minx asked, smiling smugly, as she and Apple came in.  
  
"No." Star blushed and broke away from Squid. "We were just exchanging Christmas presents."  
  
"So does that mean ya'll are back together now?" Apple asked, smoothing down her skirt.  
  
"I suppose so, yes." Squid nodded.  
  
"Finally!" Minx sighed exasperatedly. "I was beginning to wonder."  
  
"Are you guys back already?" Star asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Uh...yeah." Apple looked at her like she was crazy. "It's almost midnight, you know."  
  
"Midnight?" Star nearly shrieked. She glanced at her sports watch. "Oh my god, I didn't know it was so late!"  
  
"How long have you two been in here alone?" Minx asked suspiciously.  
  
"Only for about five minutes." Squid said.  
  
"I spent most of the evening with Link." Star explained. "I think I managed to cheer her up."  
  
"I hope so." Apple said.  
  
"Well if it's that late, then I guess I better go back to my room." Squid said, fastening the necklace about his neck and putting it under his shirt. It wasn't a very large circle, maybe about an inch in diameter. He kissed her gently on the lips, waved to Minx and Apple, and left the room.  
  
Minx squealed excitedly.  
  
"Oh it's not that unbelievable." Star rolled her eyes. She yawned then. "Wow, I didn't realize how tired I was. Let's go to bed."  
  
And so they did.  
  
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So, what did you think?? Ya like so far? I really hope so, because I had so much fun writing it!! Sry I haven't been @ skewl, em, but I've been sick. But I'll be back on Monday for exams, gag!! Okay, well review everybody!! You know the deal. I have to have 70 reviews before I post chapter 19, savvy? Sweetness. 


	19. hangovers and infidelity?

Hey hey!! Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad their mostly good!! And Emily, have I ever told you how much I appreciate you and that you're a wonderful best friend? Well you are, and just for that, I'm going to write lots more about Apple for you!! Lol, and I think it was funny you called your "young Andy" (or wutever THAT is) during his exam!!  
  
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As January rolled around, the group headed for Mexico, where Magnet pleaded to go for his sixteenth birthday. They took a plane to Cancun, where Star decided they would pose as wild and crazy seniors on winter vacation.  
  
"Ugh, this is SO uncomfortable." Minx wriggled uncomfortably. She was wearing a skimpy, skin-tight tube top that Magnet didn't seem to object to. She was also wearing an incredibly short cut-off blue jean skirt. Her hair was still blonde, but the dreads had been taken out and it was tied back in a plain ponytail. "Tell me again why we have to dress like sluts?"  
  
"Because we're seniors on vacay," Apple replied arrogantly. She was wearing skin-tight capris and carrying a feather purse. Designer sunglasses were pushed up into her glossy curls. "And they always look like sluts."  
  
"True dat," X-ray agreed absently.  
  
"Come on, let's just get to our rooms," Star suggested, pulling up the cut- off eighties-style shirt she was wearing. Her hair was still streaked blue, but it looked more in place since it matched her shirt. It almost looked temporary. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can change out of these wet t-shirt contest outfits."  
  
"Can we really have a wet t-shirt contest?" ZigZag asked eagerly. Kitty rolled her eyes and slapped his arm. It didn't hurt, but he at least the decency to pretend.  
  
"Grow up and come on." Rogue rolled her eyes. "We've got to finish our disguises before we see too much action here."  
  
"There's more?" Twitch complained.  
  
"Not for you guys." Fidget replied, latching onto his arm fondly. "You guys already look like the typical type of guys who'd come here. We've got a little bit more...preppiness to add before we're ready."  
  
"Preppiness?" Caveman looked appalled. "You're not gonna become all preppy are you?"  
  
"Don't worry, sweetie." Apple told him, smiling wryly. "We can always change it back, and our styles still won't change."  
  
"We'll have to dress preppier than we normally do." Star warned as they climbed the stairs.  
  
"No!" Rogue moaned loudly.  
  
"I kind of like preppy." Link admitted, smiling broadly. She'd seemed to have really taken Star's talk to heart.  
  
"Okay, we'll meet you guys in the bar in the lobby as soon as we're done." Star said in a businesslike manner, stopping in front of her room. "Girls, dump your luggage and come back here so we can finish this."  
  
When the girls came downstairs, everyone looked at them. No one could tell they weren't at least eighteen. All their funny hair colors had been dyed normal again, any unusual piercings had been taken out or hidden, and all tattoos were hidden as well.  
  
"Aww, ur pretty silver hair is all gone!" Twitch murmured to Fidget. She slipped into a seat at the table next to him, fingering her short hair, which was now strawberry blonde.  
  
"So what do you want to do, Magnet?" Minx asked, perching herself precariously on his lap.  
  
"Hit the beach!" Magnet pumped his fist into the air. So they all changed into bathing suits and headed down to the beach.  
  
"Oh look!" Star's eyes grew wide and she looked almost delirious she was so happy. She was wearing a black bikini with hot-pink piping. The streaks were out of her hair now, and she had it down and pulled back under a wide black cloth headband.  
  
"What is it?" Squid was standing next to her, and he looked around in a confused way.  
  
"A surf shack!" Star was off before anyone could stop her, racing at top speed for the small wooden shop by the wooden bridge leading back to another hotel.  
  
"She surfs?" Caveman said to Apple in a low voice.  
  
Apple nodded, not even bothering to watch as Star vaulted into the shop. She was busy lathering SPF 30 on her somewhat pale skin. She was beginning to dislike her black hair, even though the curls were nice. She wanted to be a red-head again. "She's a surfing freak." She said absently.  
  
"You okay?" Caveman asked her, turning a slightly concerned gaze upon his discontented girlfriend.  
  
"Yeah." Apple sighed heavily and leaned into him. He wrapped his arm around her. "I just want to go home." She sniffed.  
  
"I know." Caveman told her gently. "I do, too."  
  
"What are you guys so glum for?" ZigZag asked, flopping down onto the sand next to them. Kitty was with him, clutching his hand as though for dear life. Her short hair was fanned out now, and there was a large, fake hibiscus tucked behind her ear.  
  
"Yeah!" Kitty declared loudly. The sun was starting to go down, and the beach was becoming gradually deserted.  
  
"Kitty, have you been drinking?" Apple asked, sighing heavily.  
  
Kitty giggled. ZigZag grinned wildly. "Of course we have!" He said loudly. "Come on! Magnet and Minx have just brought an entire cooler down!"  
  
"Ugh." Apple rolled her eyes, climbed to her feet, and stalked off.  
  
Star came barreling out of the surf-shack just then, a long board tucked under her arm. She didn't say anything to anybody, just plunged headfirst into the water.  
  
"I didn't know Star could surf." Squid said, sinking onto the sand next to the others with a cold beer in his hands.  
  
"You're her boyfriend, you should know." Minx giggled in a high-pitched voice. Squid rolled his eyes and set his beer aside. He wasn't really a big drinker, especially since his mother was an alcoholic.  
  
"Man, look at her go!" Magnet said, nudging Minx with his elbow.  
  
"It's not her I'm looking at!" Minx giggled, and she tackled him in a huge kiss.  
  
They returned to their hotel around one that morning, being loud and obnoxious as drunk seniors usually are. They fell into bed, and slept fairly late the next morning due to quite a few hangovers.  
  
When Apple woke up, sunlight was streaming through the windows. Fidget was sprawled in the bed next to her, with one arm flung over her face and the other across Apple. Minx was in the other bed, sprawled out like a starfish. Star wasn't there.  
  
Apple sat up. She hadn't drunk more than half a can the night before, so she didn't have a headache. She was wearing a spaghetti strap tank top with a built in bra and a pair of cheerleading shorts. She pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail, slipped on some flip-flops, and left the room.  
  
Even though it was late in the morning, the corridors of the brightly lit hotel were deserted except for the occasional Mexican cleaning lady as Apple made her way down through the back door of the lobby, her flip-flops making smacking noises on the stone floor.  
  
She went past the pool. There were a couple of families lounging around the pool, watching their little kids play in the shallow end of the swimming pool. She went down the stone steps leading to the beach.  
  
Apple spotted Star immediately. She was out on the ocean, riding the waves like a pro. Apple settled down a wooden lounge chair to wait for Star to get done.  
  
Star finally stopped, picked up her board, and came onto the sand. "Apple!" She waved ecstatically to her friend. Her hair was nappy from being in the ocean's salt-water, and it was tied back with a rubber band into a very low ponytail. She was wearing a sporty-one piece with board shorts over it. Her feet were bare, but there were woven friendship bracelets tied all about her ankle. She'd had them there ever since she'd arrived at Camp Arden, but Apple had never really noticed them. Now they stood out against the fake tanner they'd all applied the night before.  
  
"How long have you been up?" Apple asked as Star dropped her board and sank down onto the chair next to her friend.  
  
"I dunno. Since about six I guess." Star shrugged her shoulders, which were getting tan naturally now. "What time is it?"  
  
"Probably about ten or eleven." Apple said.  
  
"Where's everybody else?" Star shook back her wet hair and leaned back in the chair, letting the warm sun envelope her body.  
  
"I dunno." Apple said. "Still asleep I guess. At least they were when I left. I didn't drink that much last night."  
  
"You guys were drinking?" Star demanded incredulously, giving her friend a piercing stare.  
  
Apple looked back at her. "Uh, duh. Where were you?"  
  
"Surfing, I guess." Star shrugged again. "Well if everybody's got hangovers, we're not gonna do too much today then. I guess I'm gonna go back out there. You gonna go back up to the hotel?"  
  
"I will in a minute." Apple said. "I'm gonna watch you for a minute. Go show off for me, okay?"  
  
"Sure thing." Star grinned broadly. She tucked her board under her arm and ran for the water.  
  
Apple leaned back. She wasn't really planning on watching Star surf. She knew Star could surf just as well as she could snowboard, and that was really good. She wasn't really in the mood to watch Star be better than her at another extreme sport, anyway.  
  
She watched Star paddle out to greet a wave, then she got up and headed back up to the hotel.  
  
Minx and Fidget were awake now. Minx was wrapped in a thick robe, rocking back and forth in a chair. She looked slightly green. She had drunk more than any of the other girls by far. Fidget was locked in the bathroom, probably throwing up.  
  
"Where've you been?" Minx asked, still rocking back and forth. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her feet were shaking as she rocked.  
  
"I went to the beach." Apple replied, going over to the window. The curtains had been pulled shut, and she threw them open.  
  
Minx hissed loudly and covered her pale face with the robe she was wearing.  
  
"Oh grow up." Apple rolled her eyes. She went over to her suitcase and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a tank top. She got dressed, then braided her curls and tied them with a ribbon. "I'm gonna go find Caveman. You wanna come?"  
  
"No." Minx shut the curtains with a snap and sank back into the chair, her eyes blurry and unfocused. "I think I'll stay here and hurl a bit more."  
  
Apple shrugged. "Your decision. See ya in a little while." And she let herself out the door. She went down the hallway, still deserted, to the room in which Caveman was staying. She rapped on the door.  
  
Squid opened the door. He looked wide awake and alert. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and the gold necklace Star had given him for Christmas glinted in the sunlight. "Apple? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Looking for Caveman." Apple replied, peering past him. There were three hunched over forms covered up in the two beds. "Is he in there?"  
  
"Yeah, you won't be able to get him up though." Squid stepped aside so she could see in better. "All three of em' have only gotten up long enough to barf, and then they go back to bed."  
  
"Ugh, the idiot." Apple sighed heavily. "I TOLD him not to drink all that, but did he listen? NO!"  
  
"Guys seldom do." Squid admitted.  
  
"Okay, well I guess I'll see you later then." Apple said reluctantly. She turned and headed back to the beach. If everybody was gonna stay holed up sick all day, she might as well get in some action at the beach.  
  
"Hey, you're back?" Star asked, dropping onto the sand next to Apple. She didn't really care that the wet butt of her board shorts was going to be covered in sand when she got back up.  
  
"Yeah. Everybody's throwing up and recoiling from natural sunlight." Apple rolled her eyes. "They've all got hangovers."  
  
"Squid has a hangover?" Star's eyes narrowed. The gold star around her neck glittered against her quickly tanning skin.  
  
"No, he and I are the only ones besides you." Apple looked at her friend critically. "Star, are you wearing any sunscreen?"  
  
Star blushed. "Well, no. I actually forgot to put any on."  
  
"You're frying." Apple reported matter-of-factly.  
  
"I don't feel it." Star shrugged.  
  
"You will tomorrow."  
  
"Excuse me, ladies," A masculine voice said. They both looked up. Two tanned, blonde American guys stood there, looking very fine in baggy trunks with muscular chests.  
  
"Yeah?" Apple replied, flipping her shades down over her eyes so they couldn't see just exactly where her eyes were drawn to.  
  
"I'm Max, and this is Ryan." The second one introduced the two of them. "We're on vacation, and we were wondering if you knew any good places to go."  
  
"Well, we're on vacay too." Star told them. She couldn't keep her eyes off the second one, Max. She inadvertently tucked the star into her swimsuit. "So we don't know too many places. We just got in last night."  
  
"Where did you come from?" Ryan asked, sitting down. Max sat down next to him, and they didn't seem to have any intention of leaving soon.  
  
"Kentucky." Apple said quickly. She assumed it was as good a place as any; it could at least explain their country accents that they couldn't seem to get rid of.  
  
"Cool. We're from LA." Max explained. "You know, Cali?"  
  
"We know where LA is." Star said, rolling her eyes at Apple and grinning. "We're from Kentucky, not the arctic."  
  
"I heard Kentucky was the arctic!" Ryan cracked, and Max chuckled.  
  
"Not quite." Apple didn't like these too quite as much as Star did; Star seemed infatuated.  
  
"Well, how old are you guys?" Max asked next. "Maybe we can get together tonight or something."  
  
"We're eighteen." Star lied quickly, grinning broadly even though she knew she shouldn't have been flirting.  
  
"I think we've already got plans." Apple said quickly, before Star could dig herself a deeper hole. "We're here with a whole group of people."  
  
"Oh yeah!" Star giggled, holding up her hand. Her nails were painted silver, and they flashed in the sunlight.  
  
"Maybe tomorrow night then?" Ryan suggested.  
  
"Probably not." Apple said firmly. She got to her feet. "Come on, S. Let's get out of here. I'm sure the others are up by now."  
  
"I guess we'll see you later then." Max waved disconsolately.  
  
"Okay. Yeah! Bye!" Star waved as Apple dragged her, along with her surf board, up the steps.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking, Serendipity Miller?" Apple snapped in a low voice. Star snapped to attention.  
  
"Apple!" She hissed, looking around nervously. "You know we're not supposed to use our real names!"  
  
"Star! You were out there flirting with two preppy block-heads while you're loyal boyfriend is back at the hotel!" Apple said, glaring at her friend with contempt. "You and Squid just got back together! And what about that necklace you hid?"  
  
"I didn't hide it!" Star protested in a hurt voice. She quickly plucked the star from inside her swimsuit.  
  
"Oh yeah. Uh huh." Apple folded her arms and fixed her friend with a steely glare. Star seemed to shrink back from it.  
  
"Okay, maybe I got a little carried away." She admitted finally, leaning her long board against the stone wall. Then her voice got desperate. "Don't tell Squid about this, please? I don't think our relationship could handle it."  
  
"Fine." Apple muttered. "But just this once."  
  
"Thanks Apple! You're the best!" Star grinned. "I'll be back in a minute. I've gotta go return this board to the shack."  
  
"I think I'll come with you." Apple said, following Star back down the steps. Star's face fell.  
  
"What, you don't trust me?" She demanded, resting her board under her arm as they padded across the sand. Ryan and Max were gone now, probably flirting with other girls.  
  
"Not particularly." Apple replied bluntly. "And personally I don't think Squid should either. I would break up with you if it was me."  
  
"But you promised not to tell him!" Star said, panic stricken.  
  
"Just give the board back." Apple muttered as they went into the shop. Star turned the surfboard in and they walked back toward the hotel slowly. "I said I wouldn't tell, and I won't. But I think you should tell him."  
  
"I can't." Star said miserably, running her hands through her short hair. It had come out from it's ponytail, and the holder was inevitably lost at sea. "Squid and I hardly get along as it is."  
  
"Then maybe you shouldn't be going out." Apple said carefully.  
  
"Excuse me?' Star stopped in her tracks and just stared at Apple. "After you guys pushed us like that to go out you're telling me not to?"  
  
"If you'll remember, I never exactly pushed you." Apple said. "I told you to do what made you happy."  
  
"Well, I am happy with Squid." Star said uncomfortably. "When we're not fighting, that is."  
  
"Hmph." Apple snorted. "Come on. The others will definitely be wondering where we've been."  
  
"I'm going to do better, Apple." Star said, grabbing her friend by the arm. "Please don't think I'm a total jerk."  
  
"I don't think you're a total jerk, Star." Apple shook her head and smiled slightly. "I just think you need to straighten out your priorities. Will you do that for me?"  
  
"Deal." Star grinned.  
  
Apple grinned back at her. "All right. Let's go take showers. I'm pretty sure neither of us looks too great right now."  
  
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Hee hee!! So what did u think?? Enough Apple for u, Emily?? I hope so!! I'm going outta town this weekend! Yay!! Ugh, I really should be studying for my 2 exams 2morrow: biology and Spanish, my two hardest subjects. Especially since I have Chambo for biology!! Ugh that man is completely insane!! Especially since he lets poisonous spiders run free in his room!! Ugh he scares me sooo much!! Anyway, I get to go xmas shopping 2morrow w/ my sis!! Lol!! Yay!! Fun stuff!! Okay, gotta run to study so that when my rents get home it looks like I've been studying all afternoon!! LOL!! Read and review!! You know the deal! 75 reviews before I post chap 20, capiche? (is that how u spell that??) luvs!! 


	20. blast from the past

Kk, sry that it's been sooo long since I last posted. I've been kinda busy, wut with xmas and all. I got absolutely everything I asked for, except for my drum set *pout* but I've been saving up my money so I can buy it myself. I even got my laptop!! *cheers* I was gonna wait and make this post on it, but it won't be in until the day after tomorrow, so I'm gonna go ahead and post this one. Okay, r&r!!  
  
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"I think we'll head back to the U.S. now," Star said one afternoon a week or so later. They were all lounging around the pool; Rogue was listening to her cd player.  
  
"Why?" Twitch demanded, sitting up and giving her a funny look. "They know us in the U.S."  
  
"Our pictures have been all over world news, dork." Star rolled her eyes. "They know us here too."  
  
"Where will we be going?" Fidget asked, heading off any argument.  
  
"I was thinking maybe New Mexico." Star replied.  
  
"New Mexico?"  
  
"Yeah. New Mexico." Star replied.  
  
So they left Mexico the next day and flew to New Mexico.  
  
"Isn't this a little close to Texas?" Minx asked in a worried voice as they caught a taxi to their hotel.  
  
"That's the point." Star explained expansively. "They expect us to be as far away from Texas as we can possibly be. They'll never look right next door."  
  
"It does have merit to it." Apple admitted.  
  
After they checked in, the boys all went to an arcade in town, while the girls all gathered in one of the rooms.  
  
"You okay Link?" Jewel asked. She was perched on the edge of one of the beds, wearing a blue jean mini-skirt.  
  
"Yeah," Link sighed heavily. "It's just that next week is Armpit's birthday. He would have been sixteen."  
  
They all fell silent. Not one of them knew what to say to a statement like that.  
  
"Let's go get the boys from the arcade, and then go find some lunch." Star finally suggested.  
  
"Okay." Everyone agreed readily, glad to have a distraction from Link's continuous mourning. (AN. Not that her mourning is bad or nething!!)  
  
They all grabbed their purses and headed down the stairs and out the front door of the hotel. Star had a backwards baseball hat over her hair. Apple was wearing a pair of designer sunglasses, while Minx sported designer platform flip-flops.  
  
It took them quite a while to even find the arcade. It was back on a side street away from the other main buildings.  
  
"Where on earth can they be?" Kitty complained, pulling her black cowboy hat down lower over her eyes as they entered the dark arcade. It was very, very dark, and surprisingly smelled like cigarette smoke and alcohol.  
  
"I dunno..." Link murmured. She hadn't really wanted to come along in the first place. She would have been perfectly happy just staying at the hotel and reminiscing about her deceased boyfriend. She sighed heavily. Nobody, especially not a thirteen-year-old girl, should have to deal with something like that.  
  
"Okay, split up into groups of twos and threes," Star said in her bossy, take-charge voice. "We'll search this arcade until we find them."  
  
So Apple, Minx, and Star split up and went to the back to search. Fidget and Rogue searched the middle. Kitty, Jewel, and Link took the front.  
  
"I'm so glad you and Squid are finally back together," Minx sighed pleasantly as they walked past rows upon rows of video games.  
  
"Yeah, me too." Apple said pointedly. She had promised not to tell anybody about what happened, but she was making sure that Star felt guilty about it.  
  
"Hopefully we'll stay together for a while this time." Star said, trying her best to ignore Apple.  
  
"Yeah, definitely!" Minx agreed cheerfully, clearly unaware of Apple and Star's silent battle. "Last time it only lasted for about a week and a half! Can you imagine that! Especially since you guys like each other so much!"  
  
"Yeah." Star muttered, her eyes narrowing. She had just caught sight of a scantily-clad, fake-tanned girl walking up to Squid. She threw out her arm to stop her two friends. "Shhh!" She said.  
  
"Hi." The girl giggled. She was wearing very short blue jean shorts and a halter-top. Her hair was curled with gel, and she was wearing entirely too much makeup.  
  
Squid looked up from the video game he was playing, slightly surprised to see the girl there. "Uh...hey." He replied absently.  
  
"You new here?" The girl asked, leaning against the game to say that she wasn't leaving any time soon. "I come here a lot, and I've never seen you. I thought I knew EVERYONE in town."  
  
"I'm on vacation." He said distractedly.  
  
"Ooh, do you have family here?" She asked, batting her heavily-mascared eyelashes at him.  
  
"No." Squid replied, beating the level and finally looking at her. "I'm here with a bunch of friends."  
  
"You know, I could show you around a little bit." The girl said flirtatiously, running her finger down his cheek seductively. "I know the best places to go, and I'm sure your friends won't mind."  
  
Squid took hold of the girl's hand and firmly brought it away from his face. "I have a girlfriend, and I like her a lot." He told her in a disgusted tone. "I would really appreciate it if you left now."  
  
The girl gave him a startled look, then her eyes got angry. "I know who you are." She said in a voice so low it was hard for Minx, Apple, and Star to hear what she was saying.  
  
"Excuse me?" Squid repeated incredulously.  
  
"You're one of those guys they've been searching for on TV." The girl continued, her voice growing more malicious as she realized that she had gotten him. "The one who ran away from that camp in Texas, killed a bunch of people, been stealing money from everyone."  
  
"I think you're nuts." Squid said hotly.  
  
"Oh no, you know I'm right!" She grinned triumphantly. Her teeth were stained with cigarette tar. "And unless you give me what I want, I'll call the cops on you."  
  
"Call them." Squid said defiantly. "I'm not who you think I am, so I have nothing to worry about."  
  
"What about your girlfriend?" The girl asked, her eyes darkening even as her smile broadened. "I bet she's one of the run-aways too. What if I called the cops on her?"  
  
"Think again." X-ray muttered from behind her. He knocked her hard on the head. "Dude, don't let chicks get to you like that."  
  
"What could I do?" Squid shrugged, running his hands through his messy hair. "What are you gonna do with her?"  
  
"I suppose I'll take her out in the back alley and kill her." X-ray shrugged, holding the girl's form up so that it didn't appear that she was unconscious.  
  
"Don't kill her," Caveman said, coming up beside them. "Just gag her and leave her there. By the time anybody finds her, we can be out of here."  
  
"Okay." X-ray agreed, slightly reluctantly. "We'll hide her behind the trash bin. I hit her pretty hard, so she probably won't even remember that she ever saw Squid."  
  
"I'll help you." Caveman said, hooking one of the girl's arms over his shoulder. X-ray took the other one, and they dragged the girl out the back exit into the alley.  
  
Star dashed from her hiding place, with Apple and Minx following behind her. She flung her arms around a very startled Squid's neck and kissed him soundly on the lips. He gave her a funny look.  
  
"What was that for?" He asked.  
  
"You stood up for me." She smiled impishly, not removing her arms from around his neck.  
  
"We're two of a kind." Squid said, pulling out his necklace. Star pulled out hers and fitted the pieces together. "We go together."  
  
Star kissed him again.  
  
"Where are the others?" Minx asked.  
  
"X-ray and Caveman are out in the back alley getting rid of that girl," Squid explained, his arm still firmly around Star.  
  
"We know that." Apple rolled her eyes heavenward, her arms folded over her green Frog t-shirt.  
  
"The others are around here somewhere, playing games." Squid shrugged.  
  
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Caveman asked as he and X-ray returned from binding and gagging the unconscious girl.  
  
"We came to look for you guys." Apple explained, kissing Caveman lightly on the cheek. "So we can go and get some lunch."  
  
"We'll more than likely have to leave first thing in the morning." Star said reluctantly. "We don't want to take any chances about that chick remembering anything."  
  
"Good idea." X-ray agreed.  
  
"Let's go find the others." Minx said.  
  
It took the six of them nearly half an hour to round up the rest of them, and they finally emerged from the dark, smoky arcade into the incredibly bright and sunny street.  
  
"Where do you guys want to go?" ZigZag asked, pulling out a pair of sunglasses and putting them on. Kitty took his hand and entwined her fingers with his.  
  
"Let's walk until we find somewhere." Link suggested. Since nobody really wanted to upset Link, they all agreed.  
  
They walked for about an hour, stopping at various shops and sites and generally taking their time.  
  
"Ooh! Lookie!" Link pointed a fifties diner on the corner of the street they were on. "Let's go there!"  
  
"Are you sure?" Magnet asked. He was holding Minx's hand, and Minx gave it a slight squeeze to shut him up.  
  
"Well, if nobody else wants to go there..." Link said softly.  
  
"I want to go there." Kitty said quickly, loudly.  
  
"Me too." Jewel agreed.  
  
"That's where we'll go then." Star agreed quickly.  
  
"Goody!" Link cheered.  
  
They went into the diner and took a seat at the largest booth they had, back in the very back of the restaurant. From there, they could see everything and everyone in the diner.  
  
"Nice seats." Rogue commented blandly.  
  
After they ordered, they sat talking about where they wanted to go next. Then their food came, and they were too busy eating to talk too much.  
  
The little bell over the door tinkled as someone came in, but everyone except Link was too busy eating to look up. But Link DID look up, and then she spit her French fry all over Jewel.  
  
"Thanks." Jewel grimaced, picking up her napkin and hurriedly wiping the chewed-up food off her face and neck. She shuddered and pretended to gag.  
  
"What are you staring at?" Minx asked, waving her hand in front of Link's face. Link was staring with wide eyes and an open mouth at the person who had just come in the door. Minx turned and looked. "Oh my god." She breathed.  
  
They all turned to look. A black boy wearing a pair of ripped blue jeans and a black t-shirt had just come in. It was Armpit. He'd lost a ton of weight, and all the girls had to admit he was pretty handsome.  
  
Link scrambled up over the table, knocking dishes and glasses alike onto the floor and the others sitting in the booth. She slipped on spilled coke, then regained her balance and flung her arms around Armpit's neck.  
  
"Link?" He asked in astonishment as she covered his face in kisses. "Is that you?"  
  
"Come!" She grinned wildly, more ecstatic than anyone had ever seen her before. She grabbed Armpit's hand and dragged him back to the boot. He squeezed in with the rest of them.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Are you a ghost?"  
  
"We thought you were dead!"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"You look great!"  
  
"Are you hurt?"  
  
"Woah! Hold up there." Armpit held up one of his hands. "What are ya'll doing here?"  
  
"We've been traveling from place to place, trying not to get caught." X-ray explained, pushing his glasses up on his nose.  
  
"Yeah, I've seen ya'll all over the news." Armpit admitted.  
  
"What about you?" Squid urged. "We thought you were dead!"  
  
"When I fell," Armpit explained. "I had a long way to fall. By the time I got there, the fire-department had come. They had one of those really big trampoline-like things, so both Reiss and I were saved. They took Reiss to jail, but they didn't know who I was so they let me go. I ran away as fast as I could, but I still couldn't find you guys."  
  
"What brought you to New Mexico?" Jewel asked, smiling at Link. Link was curled up next to Armpit like she would never move.  
  
"It was on the news." Armpit said gravely. "They know you guys are here, so I came as fast as I could. We need to get out of here ASAP."  
  
"Okay. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning." Star said resolutely. "We need to stay at least one night, or else the people at the hotel would be suspicious."  
  
"Yeah, normal people don't check into a hotel and not even stay there." Minx agreed.  
  
"Okay, we leave at dawn tomorrow." Caveman declared.  
  
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Okay, I know it's really, really short, but that's about all that really needed to go into this chappy. Hee hee!! I can't wait to write the next chap!! It's gonna be totally awesome!! I got some red high-tops for x-mas, isn't that awesome?? I also got some hot pink and black ones with pink laces. Sweet, sweet!! *grins* AND my sis got me a Nightmare Before Xmas hoodie from Hot Topic!! Yay!! That is like my fav movie ever!! YAY!! AND I got the movie Holes. OMG Jake Smith is gorgeous *sigh* okay, I bet ur getting tired of hearing what I got for xmas!! So read and review!! I gotta have 80 reviews afore I post again!! Luvs!! 


	21. settling in

Okay, sry that its been soooo long since I last uipdated. I'm over here at Emily's house (ha ha she can't review eighty times cause she's already gonna know what happens!!!) and she's helping me write this chappy!! Okay, read and reviews pleazzze!!  
  
They arrived Napa, California late the following afternoon. Star and Apple disappeared and returned nearly four hours later with fake ids and new birth certificates stating fake names. They spent the night in a hotel, and the following morning bought a sprawling ranch in the countryside complete with a vineyard.  
  
The house was massive and four-stories. The bottom floor held the kitchen, living room, den, library, and study. The second floor was the boys' floor. The third floor was the girls' floor. And the fourth floor held a huge rec- room complete with a huge widescreen tv.  
  
"This is a nice place we got here," X-ray commented as they sat down for dinner nearly a week after they'd moved in.  
  
"It's got a big kitchen," Link beamed. She loved to cook, and she hadn't stopped grinning anyway since Armpit had gotten back.  
  
"And we'll be starting school next week." Star said cheerfully.  
  
All the boys coughed and choked and nearly spewed food all over the table. The girls all glared at them with disgusted, bored looks on their faces.  
  
"School? Are you freakin crazy?" Magnet demanded incredulously. "Why would we go to school when nobody's making us?"  
  
"Because, people will think it's weird if a bunch of teenagers move here and then don't go to school." Star explained matter-of-factly. "Besides, school can be kind of fun."  
  
"On what planet?" ZigZag muttered under his breath. Kitty gave him a stern look, and he stopped mumbling.  
  
"Ooh, school!" Apple clapped her hands together excitedly. "That means new clothes!"  
  
"And no matter what, don't let anybody know your real names." Star warned ominously, her hand halfway to her glass of soda. "Does everybody remember their new names? I'm Sara. Apple's Ashley, and Minx is Madison."  
  
"I'm Kelli," Kitty said. "Jewel is Jessica, and Link is Libby."  
  
"I'm Rachel, and Fidget is Fay."  
  
"I'm Billy," X-ray said. "Armpit is Adam, Squid is Sam, Ziggy is Zach, Caveman is Christopher, Magnet's Mathew, Zero is Zane, and Twitch is Thomas." Star nodded satisfactorily.  
  
In the morning, the girls headed out to the local mall to do some shopping, much to Apple's delight. (AN. In case u didn't know, Apple is Emily, so of course there'll be lotsa Apple in this chappy!!)  
  
When Monday came, the girls had to run screaming through the boys' floor (a mess already) to wake them up. That didn't even work with ZigZag, so Kitty had to go to more...extreme measures to get him up.  
  
"You're nuts Star!" Armpit grumbled as they gathered in the kitchen for breakfast. Link and Jewel had made blueberry pancakes, and the whole kitchen smelled delicious. Armpit turned to Squid. "Your girlfriend's crazy!"  
  
"I'm sure she has a logical reason for doing this." Squid muttered, but he didn't seem to happy about being forced to go to school either.  
  
The bus pulled up at the end of their rather long driveway about half an hour later. They all trooped on. The bus was packed full with teenagers, who all stopped what they were doing and stared.  
  
"If you have any desire to keep your eyes, you better put em' somewhere else." Rogue grumbled as they pushed their way to the back of the bus, where the only empty seats were.  
  
"Um, yeah, Rogue?" Star said softly. "We're trying to be unobtrusive here."  
  
"He was staring at me!" Rogue complained.  
  
"Well you are very pretty." Zero pointed out. Rogue blushed.  
  
The school was a wide one-story building with a large courtyard in the very middle of the building. The lockers lined the hallways, and they had to split up because they were in different grades.  
  
"How do you think Link, Rogue, and Fidget will do on their first day of highschool?" Jewel asked. She, Kitty, and Star were all three juniors, and their lockers were right next to each others.  
  
"Hopefully okay." Kitty said, checking her hair in the little magnetic mirror she had inside the locker.  
  
"If I know Rogue," Star said skeptically. "She'll be in a fight before lunch."  
  
"Maybe we'll have lunch at the same time." Jewel said thoughtfully, shutting her locker door and leaning against it.  
  
"I don't know. We haven't gotten our schedules yet." Kitty said, also shutting her locker door. "And speaking of schedules, shouldn't we go stop by the office and pick ours up?"  
  
"Good idea." Star agreed, slamming her locker door shut. She turned around only to bump into a particularly tall boy with spiked blonde hair and dark sunglasses.  
  
"Hey sweet thing," He said to Kitty. She arched her eyebrows in surprise and distaste at him.  
  
"Loser," She muttered, brushing past him. Star and Jewel gave him disgusted looks, then followed Kitty down the crowded hallway.  
  
The office directed them to the guidance counselors to pick up their schedules. There were two guidance counselors, one for freshmen and sophomores, and then one for juniors and seniors.  
  
"Hey," X-ray said, waving them over. He, Squid, and ZigZag were waiting outside a closed office door.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" Jewel asked, taking his hand almost without thinking about it.  
  
"Probably the same as you." Squid said in his deep voice. He was wearing a backwards white baseball cap, the same one he'd worn while digging back at Greenlake. "Getting our schedules."  
  
"Hey guys!" Minx and Apple trooped in, arm in arm. Minx was swinging her backpack around wildly by one strap, and Apple had hooked her thumbs through her backpack straps. "Why are you guys here in the sophomore guidance counselor's office?"  
  
"We're not." Star said, pointing to the door they were waiting at. "This is the upper classmen's guidance counselor."  
  
"Oh." Minx shrugged. "Okay then, see you." And she and Apple went into the door on the other side of the room. Caveman, Magnet, and Armpit, who were also sophomores, appeared a minute later and went into the office as well.  
  
"Who's in there?" Fidget asked as she came in with Link, Rogue, Zero, and Twitch. Rogue looked incredibly pissed off.  
  
"Minx, Apple, Caveman, Armpit, and Magnet." ZigZag explained, his arms wrapped protectively around Kitty's shoulders.  
  
"Oh. We'll wait then." Link said politely.  
  
After they'd all gotten their schedules, they split up and went to classes.  
  
None of them were seniors, and juniors had second lunch. They all got their lunches, brought from home, and went and sat in a sunny, grassy spot in the courtyard.  
  
"There's some asshole who is stalking me and won't leave me alone!" Kitty complained bitterly, unwrapping her sandwich with such vehemence that she ripped off the top half of it.  
  
"That pimp-wannabe from this morning?" Jewel asked, leaning back and taking a long sip of diet coke.  
  
"Yeah, the blonde one." Kitty nodded, throwing her sandwich aside moodily.  
  
"He just thinks you're pretty, babe." ZigZag told her, kissing her neck.  
  
"Well I wish he didn't." Kitty retorted crossly.  
  
"I can make him." ZigZag pounded his fist into his palm to emphasize his meaning.  
  
"No." Star said sharply. "We are hiding out here, guys. We do NOT want to draw attention of any kind to us, okay?"  
  
"Okay." They all mumbled reluctantly.  
  
"That's better." Star said, and she finished off her apple and threw her trash away.  
  
Sophomores had third lunch. Minx, Apple, Caveman, Magnet, and Armpit also gathered in the courtyard, though they chose to sit at one of the stone tables.  
  
"Oh my god, did you see that girl?" Apple demanded incredulously, indicating a girl who had just walked by with an inclination of her head. "Can we say slut?"  
  
Minx chuckled under her breath, unwrapped her to-fu sandwich. She was a vegetarian. "You sound like a whiny high school chick who can't keep her nose out of other peoples' business."  
  
"Well, I finally get to be one again." Apple said, a bit ruefully. "It's been nearly sixteen months since I last attended a school. Two more months and I would've been out of there with no hassle at all."  
  
"It would have been another four for me." Minx said, leaning against her elbows on the table. She set aside her sandwich and picked up her bottle of water. She wasn't really hungry anymore. "I came two months after you did."  
  
"It would have been another twelve months for me." Armpit muttered. They all sat staring moodily at their uneaten lunches; none of them was hungry anymore.  
  
"Yo dudes, that's our table." A punk-wannabe came staggering up to their table, a heavy silver chain dangling around his neck and a mesh baseball cap turned sideways on his head.  
  
"Well today it's ours." Minx said crisply.  
  
"I don't think so." One of the wannabe's friends said menacingly, holding his fist up as though to intimidate. Armpit chuckled in a resigned sort of way.  
  
"Dawg, you don't wanna be messin' with us." He said.  
  
"Says who?" wannabe's friend # 3 demanded.  
  
"Says us." Magnet said, rising menacingly. Apple and Minx watched with bored eyes, picking at their food. Armpit and Caveman also rose, looking bored and annoyed. They slowly advanced on the pack of wannabes.  
  
Okay, so what'd u think?? Hee hee!! Cliffy!! Em (AKA Apple) says that if I leave a cliffhanger u'll review much more!! Okay, I have like 83 reviews right now, so that means u gotta gimme 90 before I post the next chappy!! Awww, don't complain!! I know u can do it!! Okay, luvs, and Happy New Year!! Ready, set, go!!! 


	22. realization

Okay, this is my first post on my new laptop. I'm sooo happy b/c I like it bunches!! But then again, who wouldn't? Okay, I'm gonna hafta write this really fast so sry if it's kinda short. Hope if picking me up for wg practice in like less than an hour. Oh well, I type fast so maybe it won't be all THAT short! Okay, I'll shut up now and let you read!!  
  
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"Stop it!" Apple said suddenly, sounding irritable.   
  
"What?" Armpit demanded, glaring at her. He liked beating guys up. It was one good thing that had come from Camp Greenlake.   
  
"Don't you remember what Star said?" Apple said, glaring at them all. "She said we needed to try and be as inconspicuous as we can. Fighting is not a good thing."  
  
"Who's Star?" Minx asked, glaring at Apple with a wide-eyed and meaningful stare.   
  
"Oh, uh………Sara." Apple remembered. "I just called her Star on accident. Got my consonants and vowels mixed up is all. Remember I'm………dyslexic." Caveman snorted derisively.   
  
Though the boys thoroughly regretted it, they let go of the wannabes and sat back down. The wannabes stared at them for a minute, then turned and ran.   
  
"Dorks." Apple said crossly under her breath.   
  
By the time they all got to the bus that evening, Minx had filled Star in about everything that had happened.   
  
Star sat by herself on the back of the bus, listening to the other kids scream and her own friends talk in hushed whispers about things they shouldn't have been talking about in the first place. There was a problem; she could see it already.   
  
That evening, Jewel, Star, Kitty, X-ray, Squid, and ZigZag took a bus into town. There they bought a black Ford Expedition. X-ray drove it back, since he was the eldest out of all of them.   
  
Star was unusually quite during dinner.   
  
"What's wrong, Star?" Minx pressed in a low voice.   
  
  
  
"Nothing. I'll tell you later." Star shook it off and went back to eating. Minx had helped Link prepare the meal, so the meat wasn't all that good.   
  
The next day, they all piled into the Expedition and X-ray drove them all to school. They split up and went to their respective class hallways.   
  
"You've been quite for two days, Star." Kitty said as the three junior girls pushed their way through the crowded hallways toward their lockers.   
  
"Yeah, what's going on?" Jewel urged. They reached their lockers and began to struggle with the combination locks.   
  
"It's not important," Star lied, because it was very important indeed. "I'll tell you about it later." And she pulled her books out of her locker and shoved them into her bag.   
  
During fourth lunch, the freshmen gathered on the front steps of the school building to eat their lunches.   
  
"I don't like it here," Rogue said softly, picking at her sandwich without actually taking a bite. "I want to go somewhere else."  
  
"Why don't you like it?" Link asked in surprise. She was so happy and carefree that she was almost blind to the others.   
  
"All of the kids in this high school are mean to me," Rogue complained, though she wasn't normally one to complain about anything. "I don't fit in at all."  
  
"Who's being mean to you?" Zero demanded ominously. He held up his tiny little fist. "I'll teach them a lesson!" Rogue smiled despite herself.   
  
"I just hope Star doesn't plan to make us stay here for long." She murmured.   
  
"Who said Star was in charge in the first place?" Fidget asked innocently. They all looked at her in surprise. "I'm only joking!"  
  
"We put Star in charge." Twitch said. "And for a good reason too. She's the only one out of all of us that's responsible enough to handle it."  
  
"I'll drink to that," Link giggled, and she gulped down the rest of her bottled water.   
  
Star once again sat by herself on the way back home. She was unusually quiet again. She hardly spoke at all during dinner, and then she went up to her bedroom and locked herself in.   
  
"What's going on with her?" Minx whispered to Apple as they passed Star's bedroom door on tiptoe to get to Minx's room, where they wanted to work on their homework.   
  
"You don't think she's being unfaithful to Squid, do you?" Apple asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.   
  
"Nah, I don't think she'd do that more than once." Minx shook her head.   
  
"More than once?" Apple gave Minx a startled look, trying not to make it obvious that she already knew about it. "When was this?"  
  
"n Mexico." Minx said indifferently. "You know about it too, Apple, so don't play dumb." Apple stared at her friend.   
  
"How did you find out?" She demanded incredulously, struggling to keep her voice down so that Star or any of the others wouldn't hear them.   
  
"I'm the nosiest one in our group, Apple." Minx said, turning bored eyes upon her friend. "I know everything."  
  
"Everything?"  
  
"Everything."  
  
"Then why is Star acting so weird, miss I-know-everything?" Apple demanded, her hands on her hips.   
  
Minx blushed. "Okay, well I don't actually know the answer to that one." She admitted. "But I have a feeling that it has something to do with the fight that Caveman, Armpit, and Magnet almost got into yesterday."  
  
"Are you sure?" Apple demanded, losing her vehemence almost immediately. "Why would that affect her? She wasn't even there."  
  
"Maybe what she's worrying about affects all of us." Minx suggested. "Maybe even in different ways."  
  
"Maybe you're right." Apple gave in finally.   
  
"Well, hopefully she'll tell us before too terribly long." Minx shrugged, turning back toward her bedroom. "Come on. I'm gonna need help with this Biology homework."  
  
Star let out her breath in a sigh. She had heard the whole conversation, even though it had been whispered. She was kind of perturbed that her friends had chosen to whisper about it instead of coming to ask her, but she was glad that they hadn't come to ask her because she wasn't quite sure how she was going to say what needed to be said.   
  
She sank back onto her bed. It was a very comfortable bed, with a black cover and red pillows. A red heart pillow that she slept with was laying on the very middle of the bed, and she flopped down and hugged it tightly to her chest.   
  
She must have fallen asleep without setting her alarm clock, because she overslept the next morning. She awoke to find Minx shaking her awake, saying that breakfast was ready.   
  
"What time is it?" Star asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.   
  
"Nearly seven." Minx explained. "Now come on, breakfast is ready! Apple helped make it, and she's a relatively good cook."  
  
"Seven?" Star's eyes widened, then she smacked herself in the forehead. "Okay, let me get dressed and I'll be right down."  
  
She appeared a few minutes later and took her seat among the others, but she didn't eat anything.  
  
"You okay, Star?" Squid asked her, peering closely at her face. She sighed heavily, then shook her head.   
  
"No, as a matter of fact, I'm not." She said. She took a deep breath, then looked around at them. She had their undivided attention. "I've realized something terribly important." She said.   
  
"Stop being dramatic and just tell us!" Jewel urged, her glass of orange juice still in her hand and halfway to her mouth.   
  
"We can't stay here." Star said simply.   
  
"Well I could have told ya that." Rogue grumbled.   
  
"No, I mean, we're too nervous about being caught to actually live like normal people." Star shook her head.   
  
"Star, honey, we ARE normal people," Apple said gently.   
  
"No we're not." Star shook her head again. "We're thieves, murderers, and arsonists. We're not normal in the least."  
  
"Well what do we do then?" ZigZag asked uncomfortably, looking worriedly at Kitty. She looked back, biting her lower lip as though she knew what Star was about to say.  
  
Star took a deep breath and looked around at them all gravely. "I think we're going to have to turn ourselves in."  
  
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Okay okay, I know it's kinda short but I warned you up there that it would be. Hope's supposed to be here any minute, so I gotta post this really quickly and then finish getting ready. Man, it's a 6 hour practice on a school night!! Oh well, better than nine and twelve hour practices. And the all-nighters (even though those r kinda fun!!). Okay, you know the deal. I need 100 reviews before I post chap 23 or w/e chapter the next one is. Review, kk, cause it makes all of us happy here in my head. LOL jk 


	23. turn of events

Hey hey!! Glad u guys are still liking my story!! But a warning. From now on I will not count those that review the same thing on like every single chapter, so beware!! LOL!! I'm at home sick again, gag!! I hate being sick!! I have practice after school though, but I'll probably have to sit out the whole time. I also have pictures!! When I look like crap!! Oh well I guess………I'll stop rambling and let you read now!!  
  
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"Turn ourselves in?" Link asked softly, her lower lip trembling. Armpit took her hand comfortingly, but she still looked like she was about to cry.   
  
"Star, we can't turn ourselves in," Apple said grimly, her voice deadly serious. "They'll put us in jail for life!"  
  
"Not for life. We'll probably only get about two to three years at tops because we're minors and we turned ourselves in." Star shook her head. "And it's better than living like this. This isn't even living!"  
  
"Star! We've murdered people for god's sake!" Minx burst out, slamming her hand onto the table with passion. "They're not gonna let us off so easy!"  
  
"I don't care." Star's voice was flinty. "If you guys don't agree, I'll go turn myself in. I want to live a normal life again."  
  
There was a long pause.   
  
"I'm with Star." Squid said finally. She looked at him in surprise, then smiled shyly at him as though seeing him for the first time. The others gradually and grudgingly murmured their assent.   
  
"Can we go on one last vacay before we get turned in?" Jewel asked hopefully. "To enjoy our last couple of days of freedom."  
  
Star considered it. "Sounds like a reasonable request." She admitted. "Did you have any place in mind?" They all whispered to one another briefly.   
  
"Italy." Kitty suggested. "They've got great food, good shopping, and fun entertainment." The others nodded and grinned.   
  
"All right. I'll go make the travel arrangements before we go to school." Star said, climbing to her feet.   
  
"But we're already late as it is." Rogue pointed out, standing up and carrying her dirty dishes to the sink. "The bus will be here any minute."  
  
"This is important though." Star shook her head. "We've got the car now, so we don't even have to take the bus. If we're a few minutes late, it'll be well worth it." And she disappeared up the stairs.   
  
"I don't want to go to jail." Fidget sniffed, cuddled up to Twitch. Her fingers were entwined in his hair, and his arms were wrapped protectively about her tiny waist.   
  
"We'll have to wear even uglier outfits than the orange jumpsuits." Apple made a face, resting her elbows on the table.   
  
"She's right though," Caveman said, giving his girlfriend a reassuring smile. She tried to return it, but her face muscles weren't working properly right now. "We can't live like this forever. On the run. People will find us out eventually, and that'll be even worse."  
  
"That's true." Magnet admitted.   
  
"I guess it is for the best then." X-ray sighed wistfully. "I have a feeling that we'll be split up when we get there though."  
  
"Then we've got to make the best of our vacation." Jewel said, planting a firm kiss on his lips.   
  
Link flung her arms around Armpit's broad shoulders, sobbing. "I don't want to lose you again!" She wailed.   
  
"We're not splitting up just yet." Armpit assured her gently, taking hold of her shoulders and looking her firmly in the face. "We'll make the best of what time we have left, like Jewel said."  
  
Star sighed as she typed in the information for the flight to Italy. She was glad that they had all agreed to come with her. She definitely didn't want to go to jail all by herself. Yeah, she knew that they'd all probably be split up anyway, but it was easier knowing that they would at least all be in the same kind of place. Besides, her dad wouldn't notice if there were a whole lot of pictures on the news, and she didn't want him to know that she was in jail.   
  
They left very early the next morning. They all donned un-obtrusive clothing, hats, and sunglasses. Then they climbed onto the small, private plane that was to take them to Rome.   
  
"This is nice." Apple commented, running her fingers over the armrests with some amount of satisfaction.   
  
"Of course it is." Star said absently, stowing her backpack beneath her seat. "It cost us a fortune, too."   
  
They all dozed off to sleep as the plane took off.   
  
They were jolted awake around ten that morning by the plane jolting about and making weird noises from the engine.   
  
"What's going on?" Fidget demanded, her eyes wide with fright.   
  
"We're going to crash!" Minx cried, clutching onto Magnet for dear life.   
  
The plane did crash, straight into the ocean. The impact was enough to blow the back of the plane out, and the water rushed through to carry them all away.   
  
Star surfaced. Her backpack was in her hand, and it was starting to weigh her down. She was determined not to let it go, though, so she slipped it onto her shoulders. She pushed back her mass of sopping wet hair and peered around her. About a hundred yards off was an island with lots of vegetation and white sand beaches. She took a deep breath and took off for it, her soaked jeans weighing a lot.   
  
Apple had surface a few feet from her best friend. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, and her backpack strap was cutting into her neck.   
  
"Star!" She yelled. Star stopped swimming and turned to her, treading water. Her short hair hung wet and limp. "Where are you going?"  
  
"There!" Star pointed.   
  
"Oh."  
  
"Come on!" Star urged, and they set off.   
  
They were the last two to reach the island. Once they'd staggered up the sandy shore, they found the other fourteen waiting for them, sprawled out on the warm sand trying to get dry.   
  
"What happened?" Minx asked, clutching Magnet's hand in a death-grip as though she'd never let go. Her jeans had gotten torn in several places, and her hair was matted to her face and forehead.   
  
"There must have been engine trouble or something." Caveman looked at the wreckage, floating in the sea. He shuddered convulsively.  
  
"Do you think anybody else survived? Like the captains and stewardesses?" Rogue asked in a subdued voice. Her eyes looked haunted.   
  
"Doesn't look like it." Twitch said softly, gently stroking Fidget's soaked hair.   
  
"Well come on then." X-ray climbed resolutely to his feet. "We've got to build ourselves some sort of shelter for tonight."  
  
"You think we'll actually have to spend the night here?" Jewel demanded, aghast.   
  
"I think we'll have to spend a lot more than that here." He said grimly. "Okay, Jewel and Link, why don't you two see if you can find some fruit and firewood."  
  
"Fruit?" Link repeated uncertainly.   
  
"Yeah, I'm sure there's coconuts, bananas, oranges, apples, and that sort of thing around here somewhere." X-ray said, brushing sand off his khaki shorts. "Don't go to far, though, because we don't know what kind of animals are living here." Both girls gulped visibly. "The rest of us will have to start building shelters. They've got to be sturdy, because I'm sure there's a ton of hurricanes that come through this way."  
  
"Great." Kitty muttered.   
  
By the time the sun had set that evening, they had two small wooden huts built. They feasted on fruit, and then went so sleep.   
  
The next day, Kitty and Rogue sharpened rocks into sharp points and attached them to long skinny sticks for spears. The others built three more huts.   
  
The following day, X-ray and Squid took Kitty and Rogue's spears and went hunting while the others finished the final three huts. They feasted on deer that night.   
  
"You know, I never thought I would like venison," Minx admitted as they sat around their campfire in the middle of their circle of huts. "But this is actually pretty good."  
  
"And just think of what you've been missing all those years?" Apple teased.   
  
The boys explored the island the next day, claiming to be hunting. The girls sat around, making pallets of straw in each hut to sleep on. They covered the one in the first hut with the skin from the deer.   
  
When the boys returned that evening, they brought with them four more deer. They feasted even more that night.   
  
By the end of the week, they had a good supply of food and all the beds had been finished. X-ray and ZigZag had even begun to build wooden benches to put up around the fire.   
  
The girls announced one morning as they ate coconuts for breakfast that they were going to go to the fresh-water lake in the middle of island and bathe.   
  
"We've been here for so long, and we all smell awful." Apple declared. So the girls went to the lake, stripped, and dove in.   
  
"Shampoo." Star called, tossing her nearly full bottle of shampoo to Minx.   
  
"Thanks." Minx replied, squeezing some into her hand and then tossing the bottle on.   
  
"So does this make you feel any better about normal lives?" Apple asked, sitting on her knees in the shallow part of the lake and lathering shampoo into her hair. She was wearing a bathing suit and no shoes.   
  
"Well, this definitely isn't normal," Star conceded. "But I like it a whole lot better."  
  
"Why?" Minx asked with some surprise.   
  
"Because now we can live without constantly worried about being found out." Star shrugged. "Everyone was so tense and jumpy, and now we're relaxed and laid-back."  
  
"That is true." Apple admitted. "But what's going to happen to us? What if we're here forever?"  
  
"I don't think we'll run out of food." Star grinned impishly.   
  
"That's not what I meant." Apple said sternly, leaning back and rinsing all of the shampoo out of her hair.   
  
"What did you mean?" Minx urged, wringing the water out of her hair.   
  
"Will we ever, you know, grow up?" She kind of blushed. "I mean, I'm sixteen years old now, even though it hasn't been for very long."  
  
"I know what you mean." Minx agreed, frowning.   
  
"We'll just have to work everything out once we're a little bit more settled in." Star said, though she wasn't particularly sure about what they were talking about.   
  
"Hey you guys! Come on! Let's go back!" Jewel called, wringing the water out of her hair. They all scrambled out of the lake and went back to their "village" as they had started calling it.   
  
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Yeah yeah, I know, another really short chappy, but it's kind of important, wouldn't you say? It helps me build up to what's going to happen next. DTentGurlz, you better not tell anybody what's gonna happen!! LOL!! JK!! I know u won't!! Okay, you know the deal. I gotta have, well………let's make it 110 just for kicks. You guys can do it. It's only nine reviews. More than nine people read this story, so it shouldn't be a problem, rite?? Kiwi!! 


	24. surprises

KK, I know I had enough reviews I just………didn't post, ya know?? Not in the mood. Not really a case of writers block, I was just kinda bored, ya know?? I'm going to go ahead and post this chappy now because tomorrow I have practice tell 9 at night, then on Friday I have to spend the night at school because we have competitions on Saturday and Sunday. And I definitely won't have time to post then, and I'm sure you don't wanna have to wait until Sunday night for me to post again. *cough cough* Humor me okay.   
  
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The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. Without the sixteen of them really noticing it, two whole months had passed.   
  
"Did you guys know that it's been two months today since we've been stranded here?" Minx said thoughtfully as they sat around the fire pit for breakfast one morning. The sun wasn't all the way up yet, but the island was bathed in glowing warm sun and the crystal water gleamed.   
  
"Way to go filled-with-useless-information girl!" Apple pumped her fist into the air, then went back to peeling her orange.   
  
"That's not useless information." Minx pouted, leaning back on her hands. She was sitting cross-legged. She was wearing a pair of short black cheerleading shorts that were starting to get a little frayed and a white spaghetti-strap tank top over her black sports bra. She had tanned considerably, and her hair was very nearly it's original color again.   
  
"You know, for once I agree with her." X-ray said, pushing his glasses up on his sweaty nose. They were always almost continually sweaty, but it was in a pleasant way this time. Whenever they got too hot, they always just ran and took a dunk in the ocean or the lake. "I think that two months is a long time to be stranded on a deserted island."  
  
"It's not a desert, though." Fidget pointed out. She was kneeling in the sand and sitting on her heels. She had on a pair of ripped blue jeans shorts and a hot-pink t-shirt that had the sleeves cut off. Her hair, too, was almost it's original color. They were all slowly going back to normal here on the island.   
  
"Deserted, not desert." Jewel said loftily.   
  
"Whatever. It means the same thing." Fidget brushed her aside. Jewel sighed heavily and rolled her eyes heavenward.   
  
"So should we do something special?" ZigZag asked uncertainly, holding Kitty's hand. They were almost always holding hands no matter where they went.   
  
"Like what?" Rogue asked from where she was perched on a log next to Zero, who kept stealing adoring looks at her from time to time.   
  
"I don't know." ZigZag shrugged his broad shoulders, and Kitty leaned against him.   
  
"I say we just go do our own things today." Star suggested. She wasn't looking at Squid, but it was obvious that she was thinking about him. They had had yet another fight and weren't going out……… AGAIN.   
  
"And nobody says anything to anybody else if they come across them." Link added, her eyes brimming with possibilities.   
  
"Works for me." They all hurriedly agreed. They finished breakfast and left the "village" in all different directions.   
  
X-ray and Jewel climbed down the rocky slope toward a hidden cave on the opposite side of the island from the "village." They went inside and perched on a blanket they had brought there previously for their use.   
  
"Do you think we'll ever get home?" Jewel asked softly, leaning into his embrace.   
  
"I don't really have a home." X-ray admitted. "Here with you guys is the closest thing to a home I've ever had."  
  
"That's so sad!" Jewel exclaimed, and she smothered him in kisses.   
  
Star and Squid walked nearly all the way around the island to "Mt. Everest", what they had named the cliff that overlooked the cove. It was very high up, and probably very dangerous. That had never stopped any of them from going there before, though, and it didn't stop the two of them now. They didn't sit, but instead took to pacing around the narrow ledge.   
  
"I know why you suggested this," Squid began hotly, his shaggy hair falling into his passionate eyes. "And you're not going to get out of this so easily!"  
  
"Me?" Star's eyes narrowed icily. Her hair was starting to grow out again. It was past her shoulders now, and just as silky and soft as ever. It gleamed in the early morning sun that beat down almost relentlessly on their unprotected heads and shoulders. "Get out of what? You're the one who started this!"  
  
"I was not!" Squid protested loudly.   
  
"Was too!"  
  
"Was not!"  
  
"Was too!"  
  
"Okay, maybe I was, but it's still your fault too!" He finally admitted.   
  
Star stopped and stared at him in astonishment for a minute. Sure she had known that she was right, but she definitely wasn't expecting him to agree with her.   
  
"Are you just going to stand there and look at me or are you going to come over here so we can make up?" His tone was just a little suggestive.  
  
"Fine. I forgive you." She said primly, turning her head. "Now I think I'll go back to the village and-" Squid stopped her by grabbing her shoulders and proceeding to make up with her quite a bit more thoroughly.   
  
ZigZag and Kitty went to the tree-house in the woods. It was no more than a small wooden box with a roof and a rope ladder, but it was a place they all went sometimes for privacy. It was somewhat rickety, because it had been put together in such a short amount of time.   
  
"So, what do you want to do?" Kitty asked once they had settled down on the floor of the tree-house. Her hair was growing longer, and she had it pulled into a ponytail just now.   
  
"Well, you know exactly what I want to do." ZigZag's grin was more than a little vicious and suggested some very naughty things.   
  
Kitty sighed and folded her arms over her tank top. "Is that all guys ever think about?" She demanded crossly. "Sex?"  
  
"Mostly." He admitted. Then he shrugged. "We can't really help it, you know. It's in our nature." He gave her a slightly pleading look.   
  
She sighed again. "Well, I suppose I could indulge you this once." She said with an air of one doing somebody a great favor. A smile played on her lips.   
  
ZigZag was ecstatic.   
  
Apple and Caveman went to the main beach. They sat in the sand and talked for a while. Apple told him almost everything about her life that she hadn't told him yet. Then he informed her about the things he hadn't informed her as of yet.   
  
Then they took a swim in the water.   
  
"Oh my god, look!" Apple suddenly pointed to something silvery in the water not five feet from where they stood shoulder-deep in the warm Caribbean water.   
  
"What is it?" Caveman demanded breathlessly.   
  
"A dolphin!" Apple's eyes grew wide with admiration. She slowly advanced on the creature. It didn't move. When she got closer, she slowly stroked it. It gave a startled noise and started to swim. Then it circled them both playfully.   
  
"What's it doing?" Caveman demanded suspiciously, watching the dolphin with wary eyes.   
  
"Playing!" Apple laughed delightedly.   
  
Minx and Magnet went to "the arctic". It was what they called the beach on the far side of the island. It was impossible to reach unless you swam out of the cove and into the other. It was incredibly dangerous due to currents and sea creatures and the like.  
  
Magnet and Minx had things on their mind that they would rather nobody else stumble upon, so they took the risk and swam to the arctic. They were both fairly good swimmers anyway.   
  
Then they laid out on the warm white sand and treated themselves to each other. They finally broke apart, panting and very happy.   
  
"Hey Magnet," Minx said in a soft voice.   
  
"Yeah," He replied, equally quiet for once.   
  
"I don't ever want to leave the island." She murmured.   
  
"Me neither." And he drew her to him in an embrace which quickly turned into something a lot less innocent.   
  
Fidget and Twitch went to the lake. They swam for most of the morning. Then they sat on the rocks and talked for a while.  
  
"Do you regret running away from Greenlake?" Twitch asked, watching his girlfriend with uncharacteristic alertness.   
  
"Not at all." Fidget shook her head. She was sprawled back on the rock with her eyes closed, basking in the warm sunlight filtering through the overhead trees. "I've never been happier in my life." She told him.   
  
"Okay." He smiled at her contentedly, not taking his eyes from her pretty, upturned face. She finally opened her eyes and looked at him.   
  
"Find something you like?" She asked impishly.   
  
"Quite a few something-s." He replied in an amused sort of voice. She slightly blushed, but didn't take her gaze away from his face. "Fidget, would you do me a really big favor?" He sort of grew nervous and looked away from her.   
  
She sat up straighter, slightly worried. "Of course, Twitch, anything you ask! What is it? Is something wrong?" (AN. This is for all ya'll that keep asking for more fidget and twitch, okay!! So no more buggin!!)  
  
"Well, the guys have been talking a lot about, well, you know." He blushed bright red. Fidget knew exactly what he was talking about, and nodded for him to continue. "And I feel kind of left out, so I was wondering………" He trailed off.   
  
"You're asking me to do it because you feel left out?" Fidget's tone was incredulous. "That's the stupidest reason in the world!"   
  
"Would you do it because I love you?" He asked, flashing her a smile that was his attempt to be sexy. It worked. However, Fidget found him hot anyway.   
  
"That will do it." She grinned, and she tackled him in a huge kiss.   
  
Zero and Rogue went walking through the woods. They stopped at the freshwater spring and sat with their feet in the water, talking.   
  
"We're never going to get off this island." Rogue said, holding his hand and rocking back and forth gently. She had taken to rocking lately. She claimed it calmed her nerves, but everybody just suspected she was going crazy. (AN. I love rogue so she's not really going crazy, okay?? Good, just making sure we all understand that.)   
  
"What?" Zero looked at her, startled. His mass of hair was slightly damp because he had dunked his head underneath the waterfall when they'd first got there. His eyes were quizzical. "How do you know?"  
  
"It's just a feeling that I have." She shrugged her shoulders. Then she smiled and leaned on his shoulder. "I don't really mind. I rather like it here. Especially with you."  
  
Zero smiled and took the opportune moment to kiss her gently. "I like it here too."   
  
Link and Armpit went to "hanging gardens", the immense flower garden that stretched for nearly half a mile. They sat there among the flowers and talked. Link braided flowers together as they did so, her fingers working deftly.   
  
"What are you making?" Armpit asked finally, noticing that the flower-braiding was starting to distract his petite girlfriend somewhat.   
  
"Crowns." She replied promptly, picking on of the finished masterpieces up and placing it upon her mass of glowing curls.   
  
"Crowns?" Armpit repeated uncertainly. Link nodded enthusiastically. "Um, can I ask what for?" He asked.   
  
"Of course you can." She beamed, picking up the crown she had lain aside and continuing on her quick work. "I'm making one for all the girls. It's kind of like a princess thing, you know." She said it so matter-of-factly that Armpit wasn't sure she was joking.   
  
"Aren't ya'll all a little old to be playing princesses?" He asked her skeptically, leaning back on his hands.   
  
She stopped her work and fixed him with a flat stare. "Girls are never too old for playing princesses." Then she went back to work, her hands not slowing down in the least. "Besides, we're on a magical island with our prince charming-s. And every girl secretly dreams of being a princess anyway."  
  
"Really? I never knew that." Armpit was somewhat surprised.   
  
"Well know you do."  
  
The following several months were spent in a rush to hunt and fish and gather things for autumn and winter, which were approaching fast. Though the weather was still warm, they didn't want to starve to death.   
  
They were sitting around the fire one night nearly five months later when Minx suddenly burst out crying.  
  
"Oh my god! What's wrong?" Apple and Star were by their best friend's side in an instant, throwing comforting arms about her shaking shoulders.   
  
"I didn't mean to!" She cried, burying her face in her hands. A look of comprehension dawned on Apple's face, but everybody else seemed completely baffled by Minx's sudden and un-called for outburst.   
  
"Come with us." Apple said, helping Minx up and leading her away. Star watched them leave, baffled, and then ran to catch up. They ducked into the hut that Minx shared with Apple.   
  
"What is it?" Star asked, sinking onto one of the mattresses next to Minx.   
  
"She's pregnant, stupid." Apple rolled her eyes. "Any idiot could see that."  
  
Star snorted. "Could not. Besides, she's not even fa-" She suddenly stopped. "Woah, hold up there a minute. Pregnant?"  
  
"Nearly five months." Minx nodded miserably. "I'm so sorry! It's going to be such a big inconvenience for everybody, and there's no way I could even get an abortion."  
  
"Minx," Apple said, taking Minx's shoulders firmly in her hands and staring her in the eye. "No matter how many children you have, don't you ever have an abortion. Promise me that now." Minx looked away nervously. Apple gave her a quick shake. "Promise me!" She insisted.   
  
"I promise." Minx replied reluctantly.   
  
"Good." Then Apple's face broke out in a grin. "Now we're going to have to start making clothes for your baby. It can't go around naked all winter."   
  
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Okay, so how'd ya like?? Good so far?? I hope so. I hope I'm not making them all get too slutty or nething. But I mean, come on!! If you got stranded on an island full of hot guys, what would YOU be doing?? I won't demand answers or anything, but you know where I'm going. Okay, you know the deal. 120 reviews or no posties!!! Mwuhahahahah!! O, btw, don't ever read Oliver Twist cause it is SO boring!! Kisses!! 


	25. Charlie

Hey hey, I am sooo sorry that it's been sooo long since I last posted!! I guess it's been because I've been so busy with winter guard and all that stuff. I'll really try to get updated on all my stories this week. Two today, prolly more on Wednesday. Tuesday and Thursday I have practice till 9, so I can't get on then. Friday I leave for winterfest, so I definitely won't be able to post then, and I don't get back from that until late Sunday night. So I'll try to post!! Oh, and if u r waiting for updates on kisses never last or d-tent's list, the author's computer is broken so i was asked to inform everybody that it's going to be fixed shortly. I am soo sorry that it took me soo long to put this up, so the computer if prolly fixed by now!! LOL read on and enjoy!!  
  
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Though nobody said anything about Minx's pregnancy to anybody else, it soon became pretty apparent. When a girl who normally weighs 115 lbs suddenly gains about fifty to sixty pounds, it kind of makes even the stupidest of people wonder, and those on that island had learned that you couldn't be stupid if you wanted to survive. Nobody ever mentioned it, but it was well known who the father was.   
  
Winter wasn't hard on the island. It passed without incident, besides the fact that Minx was steadily gaining weight and was eating more than her share of the food. The island remained in warm weather though, so food wasn't hard to find.   
  
Spring came readily to the island around February by the way they guessed at it. Flowers that had lain dormant bloomed, the animals made their families, and Minx had her baby.   
  
It came one day when they were all down by the beach. Everyone was splashing around in the water except for Star and Minx, who were just sitting in the cool water. Minx couldn't go very deep because of her condition, and Star was staying with her.   
  
"I want a girl." Star was saying softly to Minx. She would never admit it, but she really wanted to have Squid's baby. That way it would bind him to her even more than he already was. And though nobody saw it, Squid was already as bound to Star as one man can ever be to a woman. "And I'll name her Jaymes Selena."   
  
"Jaymes Selena………" Minx repeated thoughtfully, moving her legs listlessly through the water. "Sounds very punk."  
  
"Punk isn't bad." Star shrugged. "Besides, I think it's a pretty name."  
  
"It is." Minx assured her. Minx suddenly clenched her face up in pain and clutched her leg in a death grip.   
  
"What's wrong?" Star demanded.   
  
"The contractions are becoming worse and a lot closer together." Minx replied through clenched teeth. "I think I'm about to have my baby."  
  
"How long between each one?" Star asked.   
  
Minx doubled up as another one hit her. She glanced up with pain in her eyes. "Does that answer your question?" She asked.   
  
"Come on." Star scrambled to her feet and helped Minx up. "Apple! Come on!" She called. Apple scrambled out of the water and sprinted after them.   
  
They helped Minx change out of her wet and very stretched bathing suit and into a short, very loose nightgown that made it easy to get to. Then they helped her lay down on one of the beds in the hut.   
  
"Do the lamaze." Apple suggested.   
  
"The what?" Minx demanded hysterically, beating at the mattress in pain and frustration.   
  
"Lamaze." Apple repeated. "Focus on something else. Breath in, breath out, breathe in, breathe out." Minx did as she was told.   
  
"All right," Star said, pulling her hair back off her face and becoming suddenly businesslike. "Okay, I think you're definitely ready. On the count of three, push. One,"  
  
"Two," Apple said.   
  
"Three!" They said together.   
  
Minx let out a blood-curdling scream as she pushed with all her might. Star looked, then shook her head.   
  
"Again. One, two, three!" She said. Minx screamed again and pushed as hard as she could. Her already damp hair became drenched with sweat.   
  
"I see the head!" Apple exclaimed. "Okay, you're going to have to push one more time, Minx, to give us a good hold."   
  
"One, two, three!" Star counted. Minx shut her eyes and clenched her teeth against the pain as she pushed with all she had.   
  
"Okay, that's good." Apple assured her, using her hands and taking hold of the first tiny should that was coming out. The pried the other shoulder out, and the rest of the baby came out with it. The uterus came out afterwards, with the umbilical cord still attached.   
  
"It's a boy!" Apple cried ecstatically.   
  
"I don't want to see him." Minx said, shutting her eyes as tears squeezed out. "I want you to clean him up and then let me see him."  
  
"We'll do that." Star promised gently. They carefully cleaned the tiny, wailing infant and used a knife to cut the umbilical cord away from the uterus. They took a soft blanket they had and wrapped the baby up in it.   
  
"Here you go." Apple said, gently placing the baby in it's mother's arms. Minx opened her eyes and looked down at the beautiful infant perched in her arms, looking up at her quizzically.   
  
"He's beautiful!" She breathed in awe.   
  
"Of course he is." Star told her, gently touching the baby's head. "He's your son." Minx beamed.   
  
"I'm going to name him Charles Mathew, and call him Charlie for short." She told them, smiling down at her son.   
  
"Will you use your last name, or Magnet's?" Apple asked, sitting down on the bed next to Minx. Star perched on the other side.   
  
"Magnet's." Minx replied without hesitation. "We're married, you know." She said it so matter-of-factly that they wondered whether to question her sanity.   
  
"No, Minx honey, you're not." Apple informed her. "You're a sixteen year old girl with a son."  
  
"No, we are married." Minx insisted. "So we didn't have a preacher to affirm it or anything. So what? We exchanged our vows before God. We're married."  
  
"And you didn't invite us to the ceremony?" Star teased. Minx looked at her, and they all three burst out laughing.   
  
"I'm going to go show Magnet." Minx said, struggling to get up.   
  
"Yeah right." Apple laughed. "Lay back down. Star can take Charlie to see his daddy; you need to rest."  
  
"But-" Minx began to protest.   
  
"No buts." Apple replied adamantly.   
  
"I'll be careful." Star promised, gingerly taking the newborn into her arms and holding him gently. Then she left the hut and walked back down to the beach. Everyone was still playing there, completely unaware that Minx had given birth.   
  
"What's that, Star?" Fidget asked suddenly, catching sight of the bundle in her friend's arms.   
  
"Take a guess." Star giggled softly, playing gently with Charlie. "Minx had her baby."  
  
X-ray's face blanched. "When?" He demanded.   
  
"Just now." Star replied. "It was a fairly easy and quick birth, and there doesn't seem to be any problems at all."  
  
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Kitty asked eagerly, her eyes big and misty.   
  
"A boy." Star replied cheerfully. "His name is Charles Mathew, and Minx wants to call him Charlie."   
  
"C-Can I hold him?" Magnet asked in a voice that was barely audible.   
  
"Of course." Star replied, gently placing the baby in his father's arms. "That's why we came out here."  
  
Magnet looked at Charlie for a long time, and then he burst out crying.  
  
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Yeah yeah, I know it's short but it's starting to get slightly late and I still have tons of homework to do. Not to mention that I still have to catch up on my sleep from the weekend. We had practice on Friday from 4:30-9, and I didn't get home until about 11. On Sat, I had to be at school at 7:30, and we had practice from 8-1:30. Then we practiced on and off for the rest of the weekend. That's okay tho. We got 4th out of 11 on sat and 3rd on sun. Cool huh?? OMG, there's a winter guard show that's rated r so they make little kids leaves the gym before it comes on!! Totally weird, huh?? KK, you know the drill, 140 reviews before I post again. I have faith in you. And this time, as soon as it hits 140, I swear I'll post immediately!! Luvs hugs and kisses!! 


	26. feelings of unrest

Yeah, yeah, I know I said that I would post immediately upon reaching the required 145 reviews, but I didn't. I'm sorry. *smacks hand* I won't do it again, I promise. I guess I had a small bout of writers block, but my friend Emily (AKA Apple) is over here and she really wants me to post. So I guess this chapter will be about Apple. Oh, and Magnet was crying at the end of the last chapter because he was so happy!! I mean, if you were him, wouldn't you be?  
  
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The next morning found Star and Apple sitting on the beach before dawn, both of them wide-awake and unable to sleep.   
  
"How do you think this is going to affect us in the long run?" Apple asked, leaning back on her hands and letting her hair (which was getting quite long) fall unchecked down her back. She was wearing a bright red halter top and white cotton shorts. Both were frayed. Her nails were painted red, but they were chipped. None of the girls could ever keep their nail polish on for very long on the island.   
  
"I don't know." Star admitted, shrugging her tanned shoulders. Even Link had become golden-brown while they were there. "Probably for the better, I have to say. It's going to teach everybody to be responsible. If they're not, then Charlie could get seriously hurt or die."  
  
"Don't say that." Apple chided, shuddering. "Nothing's going to happen to that adorable little boy. We're his godmothers, remember? I'm not going to let anything happen to him."  
  
"See? That's exactly what I'm saying." Star pointed out. "You're not the only one who feels that way. Everybody else does too. They're going to go to all lengths to keep Charlie safe, and that's going to make them all more responsible."  
  
"Oh." Apple fell silent. They sat there together, watching the golden sun come trailing up above the crystalline water.  
  
"Hey Apple?" Star asked tentatively after about half an hour of silence.  
  
"Yeah?" Apple asked, sitting up and brushing the sand off her hands.   
  
"I want to have a baby." She said softly, turning her face away so that Apple wouldn't see her blushing.   
  
"Than have one." Apple shrugged. "I wouldn't matter to me, as long as I got to be it's main godmother." She grinned. "No one is stopping you except you, Star."  
  
"And Squid." Star pointed out. "What if he doesn't want to have a baby? The idea of it probably scares the crap out of him."  
  
"So don't tell him." Apple shrugged. "I mean, do you think Minx told Magnet right before they did it that she wanted to get pregnant? No. If she had, he probably would have run as far away from her as he could. But now that he's got a baby boy, he's so ecstatic he practically floats everywhere he goes."  
  
"Do you really think it would work?" Star asked thoughtfully. Apple nodded. Star blushed again. "You don't think I'm stupid for wanting this, do you?"  
  
"Nope." Apple shook her head. "After seeing how happy Minx and Magnet are with Charlie, it makes me want to have a baby too."  
  
"Are you going to?" Star asked, shaking back her long hair.   
  
"Probably some day. But not now." Apple shook her head. "I'm not quite ready to give up the pleasures of being a teenager just yet. I will soon. As soon as they force me to grow up."  
  
"They?" Star asked.   
  
"Them. The police. The FBI." Apple shrugged. "They're going to find us someday, Star. We can't pretend that we'll be safe on this island forever."  
  
"Why not?" Star demanded, somewhat sullenly. "They might not find the island. There's tons of uninhabited islands in the Caribbean. What makes you think that they'll check this one?"  
  
"Because of the fires, the signs that we've been here," Apple shook her head. "It's stupid to hope that we'll stay here forever."  
  
"Why?" Star demanded, starting to get angry. "Why can't we just stay here forever?"  
  
"Because." Apple sighed heavily. "Because I learned to give up on foolish hopes a long time ago, Star." And she rose grimly to her feet and returned to their hut. Star watched her go, then slammed her hand down on the sand.   
  
Link rolled over on her mattress, the blanket tucked under her arms nicely. Jewel was lying on the mattress across the room, her eyes closed. Her breathing was uneven, and Link knew that she was really awake.   
  
"What do you think of Minx's baby?" Link whispered, her golden curls falling over her tanned face. She made no effort to brush it back.   
  
"I love him to death, but I think she was stupid to go off and get pregnant." Jewel whispered back, pushing her blanket back and propping herself up on her elbows.   
  
"I don't think she intended to get pregnant," Link came to their friend's rescue.   
  
"I don't care if she meant to or not, Link," Jewel replied seriously. "I mean, she's been sleeping around with him almost since they met. It was bound to happen sometime. It's not like she wasn't expecting this eventually."  
  
"Maybe so," Link admitted, also propping herself up. Her luminous eyes flashed in the sunlight that came filtering through the cracks in the hut walls. "But even so, I envy her. I want to be a mother as well."  
  
"You'd make an amazing mother, Link." Jewel assured her, smiling slightly. "In fact, Minx will probably press the job of babysitting on you quite often."  
  
"I won't mind," Link replied, also smiling. "Charlie seems like a perfect little angel, and I won't mind taking care of him."  
  
"You say that now," Jewel joked. "But I'm sure you'll be singing an entirely different tune when you get to change his diapers and he spits up all over you."  
  
"Diapers?" Link repeated suddenly. "What on earth is Minx going to do about diapers?"  
  
"I talked to her about it last night," Jewel said, shrugging the matter off. "She's going to use an old shirt. Star had some safety pins from that black safety pin purse she bought forever ago, so Jewel is going to use those to hold the shirts on."  
  
"The poor child," Link shuddered. "Imagine, having to grow up wearing the same couple of t-shirts as diapers. And when will we be able to get him clothes?"  
  
"We'll have to make some out of our own clothes I guess." Jewel shrugged. She didn't sound too happy about that.  
  
"When I have a baby," Link said firmly. "I will have it when there are lots of clothes to choose from." Then she sighed, and she began to cry.   
  
"Link, what's wrong?" Jewel asked worriedly, jumping up and flopping down onto Link's mattress. She messed up the blankets, but Link didn't care.  
  
"Why can't we just be normal?" She sobbed.   
  
"What?" Jewel asked, confused.   
  
"Ever since that day when I got caught shoplifting," Link sobbed, burying her face in her hands so that her voice came out all muffled, "Nobody has treated me the same. First I got shipped off to stupid Camp Arden, and then they turned around and sent us to Camp Greenlake! And I hated it at both places! Everyone treated me like a criminal, like I had murdered somebody or something. And then we ended up killing the Warden and Mr. Sir, and we really were criminals, Jewel, we were!" And she broke down again. She finally managed to speak again. "Then we were on run from the law, stealing money and faking names. And then we just tried to be normal, but we're not normal Jewel! We're never going to be normal! Never! And now we're stuck here forever and ever!" And she burst out into a fresh bout of crying.   
  
"Link," Jewel tried to comfort her.  
  
"No." Link pushed her friend away, jumped to her feet, and fled. Jewel sighed.   
  
Somebody knocked on the door, then let herself in. It was Apple.   
  
"What's wrong with Link?" Apple asked, sitting down on the mattress next to Jewel. "I just saw her run toward the beach, crying."  
  
"She's upset that we're not normal." Jewel sighed, flopping backwards onto her back and resting her hands underneath her head. "I don't think she was supposed to live like this, ever."  
  
"Yeah, Star went off this morning too." Apple sighed. She laid down next to Jewel, and they both sighed.   
  
"We've got to think of something." Jewel murmured.   
  
"But what?" Apple asked.   
  
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Okay, I would have written more but I have to go get ready to go to the mall. So, sorry!! 150 reviews, and then I'll post!! Loves!! 


	27. Star's plan

Okay, I'm updating again. YAY!! I'm on spring break this week, and I have absolutely nothing to do cause I'm stuck at home and not at the beach somewhere. *grimaces* Has anybody had those new Hershey's kisses with caramel in the middle?? They are so good! I've been pigging out on them all morning. I'm going to get fat. Oh, and Emily, if you read this before I talk to you, I got your shirt for you from Molly. It's a really cute shirt!! I wore it, I hope you don't mind. It made me look pregnant in it, though, but I really like it. Oh, and I met the cutest guy at Molly's church on Sunday!! I'll tell you all about him when I talk to you, kay? All right, I'll shut up w/ all the personal messages and just get on with the story.  
  
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That afternoon, Star approached Squid with her head bowed and a submissive, defeated look about her. He was sitting on the beach with X-ray and Armpit, and they were skinning a couple of rabbits they had just caught.   
  
"Hey Squid," Star said softly, her voice sounding completely unlike usual. Her face was streaked with dirt, and it looked like she had been crying.  
  
"Yeah Star?" He asked her gently, scrambling to his feet and leaving his two friends to finish up with the rabbits.  
  
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked, her voice still soft and troubled. She held out her hand expectantly. She seemed so lonely and vulnerable at the moment that it made Squid want to grab her up in a huge hug and never let her go.  
  
"Yeah." He replied gently, taking her hand in his. He led the way back in the woods. They went to the tree-house first off. It had been fixed up a lot since they'd first built it, and it was steady and had a rope ladder that they could pull up after them if they wanted privacy.   
  
The two of them settled on the floor, facing each other. They had spread soft grass and leaves on the floor so that it was nice and comfortable.   
  
"What is it you want to talk about Star?" Squid asked, taking both of her hands in his. They were very tiny compared to his.   
  
"Are we still criminals?" She asked him, not looking at him but keeping her face pointed down. Her hair hung in sheets over her face. "Or are we finally making a new life? Starting over and putting all our crimes behind us? Camp Green Lake behind us?"  
  
"Yes, Star, we are." He told her gently, brushing back a piece of her hair. She raised her face to look at him, and her eyes were pleading.  
  
"Then you should know my real name." She said, a note of pleading in her voice that he had never heard before. "I don't want to be just Star anymore. I want you to know that I'm Serendipity. I'm Serendipity Farris Miller."  
  
"All right Star," He told her gently, fondly. "You are definitely Serendipity again, and always will be. And I'm Alan."  
  
"Thank you Squid." She sighed in relief, then flung herself into his arms. He gently kissed her, then he kissed her again. Then their innocent making out turned into something more serious, and Star was glad.   
  
Squid and Star walked back to camp hand-in-hand. The others were sitting around the fire, eating lunch. Minx was holding Charlie in her arms.  
  
"Hey you guys," Squid said as the two of them stopped in front of the group. Everyone looked up at him and Star expectantly. "We've been talking about something fairly important, and we figured we ought to share it with you."  
  
"Well go ahead and tell us!" Jewel urged.   
  
"We're starting over here on this island, aren't we?" Star asked, taking charge. She was fairly good at giving speeches. "We're no long those criminals that we were when we were at Camp Greenlake, are we?"  
  
"No." Link declared vehemently. Charlie cooed.   
  
"That's what I think." Star continued. "So Squid and I have decided that the two of us aren't going to pretend that our real names are Star and Squid anymore. We think we should know everyone's real names, so that we can use them if we need to."  
  
A long silence followed this statement.  
  
Then Apple and Minx got up. "We agree." Apple declared. "I'm Anastasia and she's Magnolia."  
  
"And I'm Libby." Link declared.  
  
"I'm Jaidyn." said Jewel.  
  
"I'm Belladonna." Kitty said, then she smiled. "But you guys can all call be Bella for short, because Belladonna is quite long."  
  
"My name's Reagan." Rogue said.  
  
"And mine is Fox." Fidget explained.  
  
"No, we're giving our real names." Twitch told her. She gave him a long, withering look with her bright eyes.   
  
"Fox IS my real name." She told him.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I'm Rex."  
  
"Theodore."  
  
"Ricky."  
  
"Stanley."  
  
"Jose."  
  
"And I'm Brian." Twitch finished up.   
  
Star smiled broadly at them all. Then she clapped her hand. "I'm so excited!" She declared, and Minx gave her a hug.   
  
About a month later, Star drew Apple away from the group and brought her down to the beach to talk.   
  
"What's wrong, Star?" She asked worriedly.  
  
"Nothing's wrong, Apple, it's wonderful news!" Star sighed happily, clasping her hands and twirling around.   
  
"You sound like you've just had a glimpse of heaven or something." Apple told her dubiously.   
  
"Oh I did!" Star sighed excitedly. "A month ago."  
  
"A month ago?" Apple was still confused.   
  
"Oh Apple!" Star flung her arms around her best friend's shoulders. "I'm going to have a baby!"  
  
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Yeah I know it's really short, but it's pretty important, ya know?? Something exciting is going to happen in the next chapter. Yes, I already know what it is, so you don't have to worry about it being forever for me to post. LOL. Okay, you know the deal. 165 reviews or no new post. And I won't be lenient this time. No person going back and reviewing every single chapter just to meet the review amount, okay?? Because I won't post unless every single one of those reviews is from a different person. So you people who don't like to review and just let others do the dirty work, u better get down and review or else a buncha people will be mad at you!! LOL luvs and pigmies!! 


	28. rescue mission

Kay, sorry I haven't updated in such a long while!! I'm only doing it now because Erin bullied me into it. LOL jk!! I'm leaving for Disney World in a couple of days!! I'm so excited! My marching band is going there to march in a parade! We just had a concert this past Saturday, and it was really fun. We got new Marching Band t-shirts, too! I'm so excited. Our old member shirts were lime green. These are stop-light red. Awesome awesome. I'm watching The Sandlot (one of the greatest movies ever made, by the way. It's right up there with a Christmas Story) on TV and so if I start rambling (sort of like I'm doing now), you'll realize why. Okay, I guess I'll shut up now and just write the story………  
  
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It seemed like so much time had passed when the ship came, but it was in actuality it was no more than four months after Star's alleged pregnancy. (So far she hadn't shown any signs at all.)  
  
The girls were spending a quiet afternoon, sunning on the beach and cooing over Charlie, who liked to yank on their hair. They all thought it was adorable. The boys were out doing something manly, supposedly, like hunting or lying to each other about how far they'd gone with their girlfriends. (AN. Doesn't it strike anybody else as odd that there are always just the right amount of girls to match the boys and that they always like the right one, so that like X-ray and Zero don't both like Rogue? Mwuhahaha! I'm at the part in the movie where Squints pretends to drown and then kisses Wendy Peffercorn. That's one of my favorite parts!!)  
  
"What's that?" Link asked, propping herself up on her elbows. Her entire stomach was covered in pearly white sand, but she didn't care.  
  
"It looks like a big cloud sitting on the edge of the water." Jewel said dreamily, her knees drawn up to her chest and her chin resting on them.  
  
"Nah, it's not fluffy enough to be a cloud." Apple pointed out, always having to point out the facts. She was just like that.  
  
"A shell then." Kitty said, making little piles of sand over her feet. She didn't seem to be paying a whole lot of attention to the conversation.   
  
  
  
"Um, anybody else think it's strange that there's a cloud or a shell or something floating on the horizon?" Star pointed out, furrowing her pale blonde eyebrows.  
  
They all sat up. "You know, she's right." Minx agreed. Her arms were gently rocking Charlie, but her face was turned toward the ocean. "Somebody should go get the guys."  
  
  
  
"But where are they?" Rogue wondered aloud. None of them had seen their boyfriends since breakfast.   
  
"Probably in the tree-house." Link rolled her eyes fondly. Since they'd been trapped on the island, she'd grown a lot more open with her friends.  
  
  
  
"I'll go." Kitty said, climbing to her feet and brushing sand off her butt and thighs. "Somebody come with me?"  
  
"I'll go." Jewel offered, scrambling up. "We'll be back in a minute."  
  
"Don't get lost!" Link teased cheerfully. None of them thought that the cloud or shell or whatever it was posed any threat at all.   
  
Jewel and Kitty returned about five minutes later with the boys, and they definitely looked a bit shaken up.  
  
"Oh my god," X-ray peered through his glasses (clean for once) out at the thing on the ocean. It was steadily getting closer.  
  
"What is it?" Apple climbed worriedly to her feet and reached for Caveman's hand almost absently, as though she didn't realize she was doing it.  
  
"It's a ship." ZigZag said grimly. "And it's coming straight for us."  
  
"What are we going to do?" Rogue's tone was slightly hysterical, though she had never been one of the more frantic ones.  
  
"Well, we have a couple of options." Star said, immediately taking control. Her power-moments were those of panic. "We could hide in the woods until they pass us by. Or we could light a signal fire and get rescued. Or we could just go about our lives as usual and if they stop, great, but if they don't, then we're no worse off by it."  
  
"Let's take a vote." Zero suggested logically. (AN. Sorry to all you Hector Zeroni fans. I seriously didn't mean to leave him out in the last chapter. Umm………He was in the bathroom *cough* yeah, that's it………)  
  
"Okay, all in favor of hiding, raise your hands." Star instructed.  
  
Minx raised her hand, then looked around and slowly lowered it. If nobody else wanted to hide, far be it from her to hold them back.  
  
"All in favor of just going about our day?" Star asked next.  
  
Link, Zero, and Rogue raised their hands.   
  
"Okay, and all in favor of lighting a signal fire and getting rescued?"  
  
Everyone else raised their hands.  
  
"Well, I guess that's the majority." Star said, glad that they were going to be off the island in time for her to have her baby. "What we'll have to do is make a huge bonfire on the shore in the direction of ship, and we'll have to keep it going at all times."  
  
"All right, everyone except Minx, go find firewood!" X-ray ordered, and they all split up at once and raced off into the woods. Minx sighed and sank down onto the shore, watching the huge cruise-liner get steadily closer and closer.   
  
The bonfire was huge, and they kept it going for four days straight. The ship anchored out in the deep water, and sent a speedboat out to the island.   
  
There were two rescue men wearing pristine white uniforms in the speedboat. They looked amazed to find sixteen bedraggled teenagers staring back at them.  
  
"You kids okay?" The dark-haired one called to them, leaping out of the speedboat and hurrying up to them.  
  
"We're fine now." Kitty smiled and leaned into ZigZag's protective embrace.  
  
"How long you been here?" The second one, a blonde, demanded of them as he climbed out and waded through the shallow water to them.  
  
They all looked at each other, then shrugged. "Months. Over a year." Minx shrugged, indicating the baby she held in her arms. Charlie cooed pleasantly.  
  
"Holy shit," The first one rubbed his temples, looking amazed.  
  
"All right," The blonde began ushering them into the speedboat. "Climb in. We're going to take you back to the Queen Mary and we'll contact your families from there."  
  
"We don't have any families." Jewel said quickly, and they were all rather glad that she'd spoken up. None of them really wanted to see their 'families' anyway.   
  
The blonde looked at them all sadly. "How old are you?" He wanted to know.   
  
"I'm nineteen." X-ray said. "I'm the oldest." He pointed to Fidget. "She's the youngest, and she's fifteen."  
  
"Fifteen?" The dark-haired one looked up from where he was starting the speedboat's engine. "How many of you are under eighteen?"  
  
Slowly Apple, Minx, Link, Rogue, Fidget, Caveman, Magnet, Armpit, Zero, and Twitch all raised their hands.   
  
"There's ten of you that are underage?" He said in surprise. "You've managed to survive out here with ten of you being underage?"   
  
"We'll have to put you all in foster homes." The blonde shook his head sadly. "If you don't have any family to go to."  
  
"Can't we take care of them?" Star asked hopefully. "There's six of us that are over eighteen. We can take care of them. Please?"  
  
"We really can't be separated." Minx urged, indicating Charlie in her arms. He had gone to sleep.  
  
"We'll talk about it with the police." The dark-haired one told them gently. They all visibly gulped. He started the speedboat and they zoomed off toward the cruise liner.  
  
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Mwuhahaha!! Cliffy, right?? All right, I want 185 reviews. And *sniffs* I won't be able to update until next Wednesday, because I'll be in Disney World until then. Well, I get back late Monday night, but I'll be way too tired to do anything on Tuesday. So………I hope you liked it. Em, how was Jr/ Sr?? Did you have fun?? Who all was there?? And, I hope you like it Erin!! I bet you can't wait for me to update Disturbed Lives!! *exaggerated wink wink* I love you all!! Byeness!! 


	29. rescue

Ummm laughs nervously I'm really sorry that it's been sooo long since I updated. I guess I've been really busy. Last Thursday was my last day of ninth grade. I only had to take 3 exams. Emily (u suck!!) didn't have to take any because she's really smart. Blah! Anyway, wow, it really has been a long time, hasn't it? Well, I got put on probation for a while because I wrote a story about real people in history, and apparently that's not allowed. I guess I should go back and read the rules again. sigh oh well. Oh, Emily, I was going to call you earlier this afternoon but your phone was off and I didn't want to leave a message because I know how your phone gets. We should get together and do something later this week. I am SO bored here at home. Anyway, I guess I'll just shut up now and go on with the story because I know that you're all probably pretty darn pissed off at me right now for going sooo long without posting. Kk, shutting up now, I promise………  
  
It took them about five minutes to get the sixteen teenagers loaded comfortably into the speedboat, and then the two rescuers sped away to the cruise liner. They attached the boat to the davits (AN. Okay, I am totally not up-to-date with cruise liner technology, so I'm just using some old stuff I remembered from really old ships. So, if my facts aren't a hundred percent correct, don't kill me!! makes puppy-dog face) and the speedboat was lifted up to the deck level. There were curious tourists lining the rails, and they were shocked and surprised to see the sixteen scantily clad and dirty teenagers come on board. Much less, one of them was holding a child that could not be more than a year old.   
  
The captain approached the two rescuers and the rescued teens quickly as stewards herded the curious vacationers away.   
  
"You picked up all of them from that one island?" He demanded incredulously of the two rescuers. They glanced at each other and nodded. "I've had a couple of rooms set up for you kids to clean up in and rest. The stewards are asking passengers if they'll donate clothes for you to wear. The police are going to meet us at the next harbor. We'll be there in about forty-eight hours. We'll get your names at dinner this evening, all right?"  
  
"Yes sir." Star said submissively, bowing her head.   
  
"As soon as you get cleaned up, you'll be taken to the ship's doctor to be checked out." The captain continued. "John here will show you boys where you can stay, and Shanna will take you ladies to your rooms."  
  
"Thank you." They all murmured as they followed their guides away to opposite sides of the huge cruise liner.  
  
The maid, Shanna, led the girls to two luxurious staterooms. They split up into their usual groups and closed themselves up for a long afternoon of cleansing.  
  
"God it feels so good to finally bathe." Star sighed, perching on the end of the bed in a complimentary terry-cloth bathrobe and combing through her hair. She seemed to be in a very good mood.  
  
"What will we say to the cops when we get into harbor?" Minx asked worriedly, gently washing Charlie in the sink.   
  
"We'll worry about it when the time comes." Star said firmly, finishing with her hair and setting her comb aside.  
  
"Are you sure?" Apple didn't quite agree with her friend's laid-back attitude. "Shouldn't we go ahead and get what we need to say straight?"  
  
"We'll talk about it at dinner." Star said distractedly, getting up.  
  
"Hey, these beds are so bouncy!" Fidget exclaimed cheerfully from where she was jumping on one of the twin beds. "I'm going to sleep so well tonight!"   
  
Just then somebody knocked on the door. Star hurried to open it. Shanna the maid stood there with a large stack of clothing. "The captain told me to bring you these donated clothes. We've already washed them, so they're clean." She deposited them onto the bed that Fidget wasn't jumping on. "I'll be back in about half an hour to take you to the doctor's." And with that she excused herself, shutting the door behind her.  
  
The girls distastefully rifled through the stack of clothing. Most of it was too large for them, but they figured that beggars couldn't be choosers.  
  
"It feels so weird to actually be with civilized people again." Apple said, standing in front of the mirror and adjusting the sundress she was wearing. It was her size, though slightly short. She was pulling her auburn hair back into a half-ponytail.   
  
"Hey, we're civilized." Minx objected good-naturedly, fidgeting with the black and pink pleated miniskirt she'd gotten that had probably belonged to a fat eleven year old. Somebody had donated a few baby-outfits, so Charlie was dressed like a normal baby for the first time in his life.   
  
"You know what I mean." Apple rolled her eyes, playing with Fidget's brown hair. Fidget was dancing around the room wearing a pair of baggy khaki shorts that ended below her knees and a white ribbed tank top that showed off the lime green straps of the bra she was wearing.   
  
"Of course I did." Minx rolled her eyes.   
  
Somebody knocked on the door once more. Star, wearing a pair of tight blue jeans and a collared Tommy Hilfiger red and white tank top, hurried to answer it. It was Kitty, Jewel, Link, and Rogue. They all looked odd wearing their donated clothes, but nobody mentioned it.  
  
Shanna the maid returned as promised and she led them down the richly furnished hallways to waiting room. "The doctor will call you in one at a time." She informed them, then she left.  
  
A steward led the boys in a few minutes later. The boys clothes looked like they fit all right because they wore them baggy anyways.  
  
The doctor came out of the hospital room and looked them over. "Which of you is the oldest?" He demanded. He was a tall, thin, fit man in his late forties. His hair was dark and speckled with gray, and he wore glasses on his long, crooked nose.  
  
X-ray looked at them all, then resolutely stood up. "I am, sir." He replied.  
  
"All right son, come with me." The doctor led X-ray away from the others and into the room. "Have a seat." X-ray obediently sat down on the cold metal table. "What's your name, son?" The doctor used his stethoscope and began to listen to X-ray's heartbeat.  
  
"X-ray." X-ray replied immediately. The doctor arched a gray eyebrow in surprise. X-ray blushed. "My real name's Rex. We all have nicknames, and nobody's called me my real name in years."  
  
"How old are you Rex?" The doctor asked, moving the cold stethoscope around X-ray's muscular chest.   
  
"I'm nineteen. I'll be twenty on the first of September." X-ray explained.   
  
"Thinking about settling down?" The doctor asked conversationally, looking in his patient's ears and nose.  
  
X-ray blushed. It was kind of a personal question. "Uh, yeah, actually, I am." He nodded.  
  
"That's good, that's good." The doctor said absently. "All right, come over here and let me weigh you and measure you and then you'll be done."  
  
After X-ray came out, Squid, ZigZag, and Kitty went in. Then the doctor came out and said, "Next." Star got up and walked back there.  
  
"Have a seat, dear." The doctor said kindly. "What's your name?"  
  
"St-I mean…Serendipity." It took Star a minute to remember her real name, and that made her feel slightly bad after what she and Squid had talked about.   
  
The doctor took his stethoscope and started listening to Star's heartbeat. She'd forgotten how uncomfortable it was to have an old guy reach up your shirt with a cold metal thing. "How old are you Serendipity?"  
  
"Um, I'm nineteen." Star said. "I'll be twenty in December."  
  
"Wonderful, wonderful." The doctor fell silent as he continued with his examinations. Then he stopped. "Step over here for a moment." He said distractedly. "I need to take a couple of x-rays." Star obediently allowed him to take the x-rays.  
  
"What's wrong?" Star asked worriedly as the doctor perused her x-rays.  
  
"Are you married, Serendipity?" The doctor asked, not looking at her but still looking at her x-rays.  
  
"Not by law, but in front of God I am." She replied defiantly. "There really weren't any priests around to marry us when we were stranded on that island."  
  
"This may be a slightly embarrassing question, Miss, but have you been involved in any sexual activities recently?" The doctor asked.  
  
"A couple months ago, yes." Star nodded.  
  
"I'm afraid you're pregnant." The doctor showed her the x-rays. They clearly showed a baby in her uterus.   
  
"I know I'm pregnant." Star nodded like it was no big deal, but she was very excited. "I wanted to get pregnant."  
  
"Oh, I see." The doctor sighed heavily as though it was a sad thing. "I'll have to recommend that you go see a doctor at a hospital as soon as we reach land."  
  
"I'll make a point of doing so." Star promised him blandly.  
  
"All right, you may go." The doctor sighed.   
  
Fidget's turn came last. She bounded in and hopped onto the table without waiting for the doctor to ask her to. "Hi. My name's Fox. That's my real name. I just turned sixteen today."  
  
"Really, well that's special." The doctor said, and he proceeded with his check-up.  
  
After they'd all been released, they went to the dining room for dinner. They sat at a round table and ate their fill of food they hadn't been able to eat in years.   
  
"So, what are we going to tell the police?" Apple demanded once they'd started in on their desserts at the end of dinner.  
  
"We'll tell them the truth." Star said firmly. "We'll tell them that the conditions were so horrible at Greenlake that we ran away, but the Warden and Mr. Sir tried to stop us by using a gun and they accidentally got shot. Then we got kidnapped by pirates. We stole all their loot and ran away. Then we were going to turn ourselves in when our plane crashed and we've been on that island ever since then."  
  
There was a long pause.  
  
"God, it doesn't even sound believable to me, and I KNOW that it really happened!" Magnet exclaimed, dropping his fork onto his plate with a clatter.   
  
"But it's the truth." Star maintained. "We know it's the truth. We've got witnesses, kind of." She knew it was far-fetched but it was their only hope.  
  
Though they were all exhausted, it took them a long time to go to sleep that evening.  
  
I know it's short, but I'm really sorry. Okay, 200 reviews. I'll make it a lot so that by the time you reach the required 200, I should have the next chappy written. Yeah, yeah, I know I say that one a lot sigh I'm really sorry about all this not posting crap. I'll really try to do better about it. Okay, read, review, and love me crosses fingers all righty, shutting up now. Luvs, hugs, & kisses!! 


	30. the final step

All righty, since you all reached the required 200 reviews that I needed to get the incentive to post again, I am here to update this story. You guys are really very good at this. But Nosilla, no more of that. You know it doesn't count. amused look I've told you that a zillion times. LOL. Okay, I think I'll just add once more that I don't own anything that's from the book or movie Holes (although I wish I owned Jake Smith because he's a total hottie!!) and everything you don't recognize upon first reading this story is mine. I say upon first reading this story because by the time you get to this chapter, you could very well recognize Star and Apple and Minx and all those characters that are mine. And they are mine, so you can't have them. I'm glad we got that out of the way. smiles placatingly Continue with your reading, my good friends.   
  
They ship arrived all too soon at the dock. It wasn't hard to tell that they were in New York, as the Statue of Liberty loomed overhead. It was drizzling lightly, and it seemed to match everybody's mood as they stood on the deck watching the crew lower the gangplank. The captain had called the police minutes before and there were a couple of police cars waiting for them.  
  
"I wish you kids good luck." The captain said formally, leading them down the gangplank and onto the dock. Several police officers stepped forward.  
  
"Thanks." They all murmured apprehensively. They'd gone over what they would say to the cops over and over again, but now not one of them could remember the carefully rehearsed speech.   
  
"Why don't we just take you kids on down to the station?" One of the police officers said gently, leading them to the cars. They were split up, piled into the cars, and were driven to the police station. The ride was eerily quiet.   
  
Once they'd all been seated in various chairs in front of the police chief's desk, they finally looked at one another nervously.  
  
"All right," The chief said, taking out a notepad and a pen to write things down on. "I'm Police Chief Franklin. First things first, I'm going to need to know your names."  
  
There was a long pause, and Star finally took control. "My name is Serendipity Miller." She told him, tucking a loose strand of her white-blonde locks behind her pierced ear.  
  
Chief Franklin began writing, then stopped and stared at her. "Serendipity Miller? One of the convicts from Camp Greenlake in Texas?"  
  
"We prefer runaways." Star said uncomfortably, shifting her weight in the chair she was sitting in. Squid squeezed her hand reassuringly.   
  
"I think you need to tell me everything. From the very beginning." Chief Franklin said. He discreetly motioned to some startled officers standing nearby, and they wordlessly began to guard the door in case anyone tried to escape.  
  
"We were all at Camp Greenlake." X-ray began.   
  
"We'd just been sent there about a month earlier from this other camp." Jewel interjected quickly. "The warden there died so all the girls got sent to Texas."  
  
"And it was so horrible there!" Link shuddered. "We had to dig holes every day that were five feet deep and five feet wide!"  
  
"And we never got enough to eat." Armpit said, making a face. "And what they did give us was almost inedible."  
  
"We couldn't take it anymore, so we ran away." Apple said. She was perched on Caveman's lap, but she was tense. "We planned everything out so perfectly. We had clothes and food and water, and we hotwire Mr. Sir's truck to run away in."  
  
"We knew it was bad to steal the truck, but you have to understand, we couldn't stay there any longer!" Caveman added.   
  
"And how did Ms. Walker and Mr. Thompson (AN. I totally don't remember Mr. Sir's real name so I'm making up junk, kay?) end up dead?" Chief Franklin demanded, scribbling stuff down onto his notepad with his pen.  
  
"They surprised us." Rogue said simply. "They came out of nowhere with a rifle. We wrestled for the rifle. And they got shot."  
  
"But it was an accident!" Zero protested vehemently.  
  
"Once they were dead, we knew we had to get away from camp fast." Star picked up the story. "We knew it was wrong to leave them there like that, but we knew nobody would see the truth."  
  
"Then the truck ran out of gas." Squid continued with their tale. "So we were sitting by the side of the road, waiting for somebody to come by."  
  
"And this big brown van came by and there was this guy and a woman," ZigZag continued. "They asked if we needed a ride. We didn't really trust them, so we said no. Then they kidnapped Squid and Star."  
  
Chief Franklin gave him a funny look over his desk.  
  
ZigZag blushed. "I mean, Alan and Serendipity. We all have nicknames." He added.  
  
"I see. Continue." The Chief went back to writing, but they knew he was listening intently to their story.   
  
"Well we couldn't let them just steal our friends. We may have done some bad stuff, but we're not deserters." Kitty said. She was holding ZigZag's hand tightly. "So of course we went after them to rescue them."  
  
"But we're not very good at rescuing people." Minx piped up, rocking Charlie gently in her arms. "They caught us and kidnapped us too."  
  
"They took us all the way to Mexico." Magnet said. "Believe me, man, I would know. And they put us on their ship, told us they were pirates, and made us work for them."  
  
"I found some of their money when I was cleaning one day," Twitch spoke up. "So I took it and we escaped in Australia."  
  
"We bought plane tickets and went to Switzerland so that the pirates couldn't find us." Fidget added. "And then we went to Jamaica."  
  
"Then we went to Paris." Squid said. "And the pirates caught up with us. They grabbed Fidget," He paused. "I mean Fox, and they dangled her over the side of the Eiffel Tower." (AN. Okay, I totally know that this isn't all cool and all but no more on the subject!! It's over and done now!!)   
  
"It was sooo scary!" Fidget added. "But Ar-Theodore tried to save me. He ended up knocking one of the pirates over the edge and he fell too. We all thought he was dead."  
  
"But I wasn't." Armpit added in. "I caught back up with them in New Mexico. So we immediately went to California and we enrolled in high school and we thought we could live normally for at least a little while."  
  
"But we couldn't." Link shuddered again. "We felt too guilty about what we had done." The others silently applauded her for that.  
  
"So Star suggested that we go turn ourselves in." Apple said, glancing briefly at her best friend. "We decided to take one last vacation before we turned ourselves in."  
  
"But the plane we were on crashed." Caveman said. "And we were stranded on that island out there for forever. Over a year, I think. We kind of lost track of time."  
  
"And then this ship came and rescued us." Kitty said. "And they brought us here."  
  
"And that's really what happened?" Chief Franklin sounded like he didn't believe them. He stood up and cleared his throat. "I'm going to go make a phone call. I'll be right back."  
  
"May I use the restroom?" Fidget asked on a sudden whim. "I've really, really got to go." She squirmed around.  
  
Chief Franklin sighed. "All right. Make it quick." He pointed her down the hall to the ladies restroom. She thanked him and ran off.   
  
As she was coming back, she overhead some of Chief Franklin's telephone conversation.  
  
"They seem really sincere." He was saying to the person on the other end. "I know the story's a bit far-fetched, but I think we should definitely look into it."  
  
The person said something.  
  
"Yeah, they came willingly and felt guilty. If it was all an accident like they say, then I think they'll get about two years community service." (AN. Ha ha, as if it were that easy in real life!!) Chief Franklin said. "They did a lot of damage with those stolen credit cards."   
  
The person said something else.  
  
"All right, I'll keep them here until you get here." The Chief nodded. Fidget slipped back into the room.  
  
"What took you so long?" Rogue asked her curiously.  
  
"I was eavesdropping." Fidget whispered hurriedly to them all. "The Chief believes us. He thinks we'll get about two years of community service."  
  
"That's it?" Star couldn't believe it. Then she grinned. "God I hope that's all we get. I don't want to have my baby in jail." She glowed at the very thought of having a baby.   
  
The Chief returned a few minutes later with a couple of FBI agents dressed in black suits. (AN. Anyone else find it odd that FBI agents dress in suits? Wouldn't it be kind of hard to chase somebody down dressed like that?)  
  
"Kids, this is Agent Bryant." Chief Franklin introduced one of the men with him. "He's going to ask you some questions."  
  
Agent Bryant took them aside and individually questioned each one. They finally gathered back together, and it was nearing dark.   
  
"Well, all their stories are completely the same." Agent Bryant murmured, making a mark on his notepad. "We really have no choice but to assume that they're telling the truth. They're going to have to go jail until their trial."  
  
"Jail?" Minx's voice was shrill.   
  
"Well, Jaidyn Foster, Serendipity Miller, Belladonna Michaels, Rex Anderson, Alan Richards, and Ricky Donovan will have to go to jail, as they are all over the age of eighteen." Agent Bryant replied. (AN. If these names don't match up with what I said before in an earlier chappie, don't worry about it. This is the right info, if you're wondering. I don't know what the heck I was talking about before. And Fidget didn't just turn 16. She just turned 15. Sorry bout all the confusion………)  
  
"Where will the rest of us go?" Link's lower lip trembled.   
  
"Anastasia Tucker, Magnolia Wilson, Laken White, Reagan Taylor, Fox Smith, Stanley Yelnats, Jose Banderas, Theodore Hogan, Hector Zeroni, and Brian Parker will all stay at a juvenile facility until your trial."  
  
"Will it all be held at the same time?" Apple asked nervously.  
  
Agent Bryant looked up for only a moment. "Yes. Do you have any belongings you wish to take with you? If so, we'll have to check it all thoroughly."  
  
"We have nothing left." Jewel said sadly, and she looked away.  
  
"All right. Come along. Those of you who are under eighteen, go with Chief Franklin. The rest of you, follow me." There was a sense of foreboding in his voice that made each and every one of them gulp nervously.  
  
All righty, that's the end. Well, not the end, the end. You know what I mean. giggles anyway, do you like what's going on so far? Is it believable? 210 reviews or you get no posties!! Emily is over here and we made a video today. It was sooo funny!! I can watch it a zillion times and laugh non-stop. Loves for everybody!! Don't forget to review!! Hugs and kisses!! 


	31. trial part 1

Hey there peoples!! And how are you on this lovely summer day?? Well, it's summer where I am. It may be snowing where you are!! (I've always been bad at geography.) Oh my god, the radio is playing Ashley Simpson. I HATE her music!! Ugh! She is so………bad!! I watched Lost Boys today. That 80s movie about modern day vampires. Corey Feldman is in it. I had no idea of that until I watched it. He was SOOOOO cute when he was little!! I don't really know what he looks like now as I haven't really seen much of anything with him in it lately. Anyways, I sry that I haven't posted lately. I been busy. Okay, no, I lied. I haven't been busy. I've been doing absolutely nothing. My life is SOOO exciting. (rolls eyes) Okay, so I am quite sorry that I haven't been doing my job by keeping you, my fantastic readers, updated. I will try my best to do so now. Okay, yeah, shutting up now………  
  
The jail cell Agent Bryant took them to was small and cramped, and it was cold and smelled bad too. Jewel and Kitty clung to one another and wept, something they'd never done before. Star was surprised to remember that she'd never seen Kitty cry before.   
  
Star was too nervous about her unborn child to cry. What if they took the baby away? What if she never saw it again? What if she didn't even get to name it?  
  
The juvenile facility wasn't much better for the younger ones. (AN. Not that they're really all that young. Most of them are still older than me………) It was crowded and uncomfortable, and they felt more like convicts than they had in the past year.   
  
The sixteen of them remained in their respective prisons for something close to a month a half. The girls had all given up crying and just sat staring desolately at the walls. Even the boys had begun to give up hope of ever seeing the light of day again.   
  
Just as their despair reached it's climax, they were taken from their cells. They were given extra bathing privileges and their old clothes. Then they were taken to a courtroom.  
  
A social worker was there with Charlie, who had been taken from his mother upon their arrest a month and half earlier.   
  
Minx let out a cry of indescribably joy and swept her son to her chest, crying in happiness. Magnet came over and gently cradled his son.   
  
"All rise for Judge Reynolds." The bailiff announced. The sixteen convicted teens rose respectfully. Though they figured the judge already had biased thoughts about them, they didn't want his thoughts to be proved true.   
  
The judge was an older man in his late fifties, wearing a white powdered wig that looked quite ridiculous and glasses. Star was surprised by the wig. She'd thought the government had given up on those things centuries ago.   
  
"You may be seated." The bailiff addressed the crowd, and, as one, they sank to the benches groaning with their weight. There were lots of people present. Though cameras weren't allowed inside the courtroom, many news reporters had snuck inside to get the inside scoop on the trial of the sixteen escaped teen convicts.  
  
Star realized, as she looked around at the crowd, that they weren't here to see justice. They wanted the runaways to be convicted of theft and murder. They wanted to see them sentenced to jail for the rest of their lives. Whether they were empty or not.   
  
Star didn't look to the public for pity anymore. She didn't need them.   
  
"I assume you kids have a leader." Judge Reynolds began, looking over his meticulously studied notes. He then looked at them expectantly. "Well, who is it?" He demanded.  
  
They all turned and looked at Star. Though she'd always known she was the undisputed leader, she'd never had to admit to it out in the open. She silently climbed to her feet, her stance awkward by the weight her baby added. She'd begun to show about a month before, and she was already getting quite large and rapidly.   
  
"I am." She announced in a clear voice that echoed back to her in the silent courtroom. She could feel people's eyes on her, eyeing her pregnant belly and her defiant eyes.   
  
"And you are………" Reynolds glanced down at his notes. "Serendipity Miller?"  
  
"Yes sir." She nodded.   
  
"Now, why don't you tell me what really happened these past few years." Reynolds suggested, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms expectantly.   
  
Star groaned inwardly. They'd repeated the story so many times already. She knew they'd written it down. Why couldn't the judge just look at that?  
  
Because he wants to see if you mess up, because that'll prove that you've got your story wrong and they can hold something against you- the inner voice inside her mind said lightly. Just tell the truth, Star. They may believe you and they may not. All you can do right now is tell the truth and hope for the best.   
  
And so that's what she did.  
  
"When us girls were first convicted of our trivial crimes when we were younger," She began. "We were sent to a correctional camp near our homes in Florida. At the camp, we were forced to dig holes. They had to be five feet deep and five feet across. And, as you can see, some of us are hardly taller than that. And we had to dig every day. Even on Saturdays and Sundays."  
  
"Was this physical labor harmful to your health?" Judge Reynolds asked. Star felt he was only asking the question to please the reporters.   
  
"I'm not a doctor, so I wouldn't know for sure, but I honestly think it was." Star said, nodding seriously. "Sometimes people collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital. Sometimes people got bit by snakes and scorpions and things."  
  
There was a murmur of appalled indignation from the crowd. Star took that as encouragement and warmed to her subject.   
  
"The warden of that camp had always had a weak heart," She continued with renewed vigor. "So it didn't surprise any of us when he died one day from a heart attack. A heart attack, I promise. Many people in the nearby towns thought that we'd done it, poisoned him or something. No matter how many time the coroner pronounced it a natural death, they still believed it was us.  
  
"We were informed, shortly after our warden's death, that we had a male counterpart in Greenlake Texas. So we were shipped there," She continued. "That's where we met the boys." She gestured to the group sitting behind her. "The reason we got together and became friends is because the wardens always divided us up into tents. We had to sleep in tents. They were in MD, and we were in FD. Male and female. We had the same counselor, so we hung out a lot. Camp Greenlake was like our other camp exactly. We still had to dig deep holes in the hot sun. We never got enough to eat. People were wasting away. But not us. We were fighters."  
  
A murmur spread through the crowd, and Star paused, afraid that she had said something wrong. Reynolds nodded for her to continue.   
  
"We finally couldn't take it any more. We were going to run away and inform the authorities of our mistreatment and neglect." She continued in a trembling voice. She and Kitty had decided the night before to add that into their story. It would make them seem more like human beings than the ruthless killers everybody thought them to be. "So, we thought out our escape thoroughly. We stole food and water. Then we hotwired Mr. Sir's truck. He was like the assistant to the Warden at Greenlake. He was really mean. He shoved people and spat at them and hit them. So we were getting in the truck to leave, when he and the Warden show up. They completely startled us because we hadn't expected them, and Mr. Sir had a shot gun. He pointed the shot gun at us and demanded what we were going. We explained to him that we were leaving. He said that we weren't. So we tried to take the gun from him, afraid for our own lives.  
  
"While we were all struggling, the gun went off a couple times." She paused as though to mourn the death of Mr. Sir and the Warden. (Oh my god!! I just realized something!! When they were in New Mexico, I think I made Armpit say something about how the Warden and Mr. Sir were on their way to get them and they were dead!! Maybe it was the police………) "Greenlake is really dusty, so we couldn't see anything for a few minutes. Then we saw that they were dead.  
  
"We totally freaked out. I mean, we knew that we hadn't murdered them. But we also knew that nobody would believe us. So we got in the truck and drove away from Greenlake. While we were driving, the truck ran out of gas. So we sat by the side of the road, waiting for help. We know it was dangerous, but we were in no mood to stay there forever. We'd already run out of food. We were starving.  
  
"So then this big ugly brown van comes by. It's only the second vehicle we've seen in hours, and so we were relieved when they stopped. It was a man and a woman."   
  
"The pirates Will Martin and Sheila Richardson?" Reynolds interjected.  
  
"I guess so. We never found out their last names." Star admitted.  
  
"We have them in custody now. We will have you identify them following the adjournment." He nodded at her for her to continue.  
  
"They said that they'd give us a ride, but something in the way they acted kind of scared me. So we didn't go." Star went on. "We told them no thanks, but we didn't need a ride just then. Then they got mad. They grabbed me and Squid-"  
  
"Who?" Reynolds demanded, squinting at her through his thick glasses.  
  
Star blushed crimson. "I mean, Alan. We all have nicknames, and we've been using them for so long it's weird to use our real names again."  
  
"Alan Richards?" Reynolds specified.  
  
"Yes sir." Star nodded.  
  
"All right. Go on." Reynolds told her, marking a note on one of the pieces of paper in front of him.   
  
"So they grabbed me and Alan and shoved us in the back of the van. Then they slammed the door shut and drove off." Star said. "I'm not really sure what the others did just then. Alan and I just rode in the back of the van for a long time. Then they stopped and we figured it was at night because they'd stopped and started a fire outside. We could see the fire through the cracks in the door."  
  
"Why didn't you get out of the van?" The judge asked.  
  
Star blinked at him as though he was stupid. "Because the doors were all locked." She replied as though speaking to a small child.   
  
Reynolds did not note the tone. "Somebody volunteer to enlighten the jury on what happened while Serendipity and Alan were in the back of the pirates' van."  
  
"I will." Kitty said, raising her hand.   
  
"And you are?" The judge prompted.  
  
"Belladonna Michaels." Kitty replied. "Otherwise known as Kitty. Okay, so we were all totally in shock when two freaks just up and kidnapped our friends. Well there was no way we were just going to let some creeps take them, but we were out of gas! So then we had no idea what to do, and Fidget suddenly-"  
  
"Fidget?" Reynolds interrupted her.  
  
"Fox." Kitty shrugged the matter off quickly. "So then she remembers that she's been sleeping against this big container of gas! So of course we all get suitably upset with her, but we can't stay that way for long because she is too sweet."  
  
Fidget beamed proudly.   
  
"So we filled the truck up with gas and started off after the pirates. I guess they figured we would come after them or something, because we saw their fire a good way off. So we parked the car and crept up to the back of the van as quietly as we could," Kitty went on. "We picked the lock and opened the door of the van. Of course Star and Squid were all upset because they thought we were the pirates. We told them we weren't and Apple - Anastasia-" she added at his confused look. "offered to cut the ropes around their hands. Of course Star was apprehensive because Apple might miss and-"  
  
"Thank you, Miss Michaels." Reynolds interrupted her again. "You may take your seat. Please continue, Miss Miller."  
  
"Like Kitty said, I was a bit nervous about letting Apple near me with a sharp knife in the dark." Star said. "It was probably my hesitation that caused us to get caught."  
  
"Don't say that!" Minx cried out suddenly from the bench. "They would have gotten us anyway, Star! It's not your fault!"  
  
"Silence in the courtroom!" Reynolds roared. Minx shrank back, shielding her small son from the evil judge. "Continue Miss Miller." He ordered.   
  
"Just as she was about to cut the ropes around my wrists, the pirates showed up behind them." Star went on. "They laughed at us and then they put the rest of them in the van with us and locked the doors. As you can imagine, it was pretty cramped in there. They gave us stale cereal and a carton of milk every now and then. I have no idea how much time passed while we were riding in the back of the van. It seemed like weeks, but it was probably only a couple days.  
  
"Then, when they finally took us out of the van, we realized we were in Mexico. We knew it was Mexico because Magnet, I mean Jose, had been there before." She seemed to remember him saying something like that sometime before. She hoped she was right. "That's when Will and Sheila told us that they were pirates. They put us on their ship and made us work. The work wasn't as hard as what we'd been doing at Greenlake and they fed us better, but still, nobody likes to be a slave. I think that's what the civil war was about.  
  
"So, one day, Twitch was cleaning their cabin- I mean Brian. Brian was cleaning their cabin and he came across all this money in an unlocked trunk. What else could we do? We took the money, stole one of their boats, and went to shore. We were in Australia. We knew that they'd be looking for us there, so we immediately flew to Switzerland."  
  
"And why did you go to Switzerland?" Reynolds interrupted her.   
  
"To escape the pirates," Star blushed. "And we figured we deserved something of a vacation. We stayed there for a little while, and then we went to Jamaica."   
  
"And why did you go to Jamaica?" The judge prompted.  
  
"Well, it was Jewel's seventeenth birthday. I mean Jaidyn. And she wanted to go to Jamaica, so that's where we went." Star continued. "After Jamaica we went to Paris."  
  
"And your reason for journeying to France?" Reynolds asked.   
  
"Well, it was my birthday and that's where I wanted to go." Star explained, blushing slightly at her foolishness. "We'd gotten too confident. We weren't hiding well enough, I suppose. While we were on the Eiffel towel, Will, Sheila, and one of their goons showed up. The grabbed Fidget, Fox, and held her over the edge of the tower." (AN. DON'T SAY A WORD!!) (Another AN. I am sorry that I taking all this time to brief back over what happened, but it's fairly important, don't you agree?) "And of course, we all started freaking out.  
  
"I don't know what he was thinking, but Armpit, I mean Theodore, just sort of charged Reiss, the pirate holding her," Star went on. "He tackled Reiss and they both went flying over the edge. We were freaking out. Fidget managed to grab onto the edge and we pulled her back up. But Theodore was gone, and we were all upset.  
  
"But we knew that everybody was out looking for us now. So we drastically changed out appearances. We dyed our hair, cut it, etcetera. Then we went to Florida and took a cruise. It was Christmas, and we were still very upset about Armpit. Theodore. So then this guy came up to Kitty and me and said that we looked like the escaped convicts from Greenlake, Texas. So we knew our disguises weren't as good as we'd thought.  
  
"We got off the cruise and went to New Mexico. We weren't planning on staying there long. We just sort of needed a place to hang out without attracting a lot of attention. While we were there, Armpit found us."  
  
"You implied that he died." Reynolds interrupted.  
  
Star couldn't help thinking, he's sitting right in front of you! How could you think he was dead? Instead she said, "We thought he was. It turns out that the fire department got there in time and saved both Reiss and Armpit. Armpit escaped and came to find us, but they took Reiss in, or so he said."  
  
"Yes, we have the pirate Reiss Balkins in our custody." Reynolds confirmed. "Continue."   
  
"Well, Armpit also told us that the police were hot on our trail." Star went on, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. The extra weight of her child made standing for such a long period of time uncomfortable.   
  
One reporter in the audience seemed to notice Star's discomfort. "Let her sit down!" The woman called. "She's pregnant, for god's sake!"  
  
Reynolds silenced her with a sharp look, but motioned for the bailiff to bring forth a chair. Star sank into it gratefully. The judge motioned for her to go on.   
  
"So we left New Mexico and went to California. We bought a house and enrolled in a school there." She continued, resting her swollen ankles on the bottom rung of the chair. "We thought we could be normal. I don't know why we thought that, but we did. We lived there for a while, struggling just to be ordinary teenagers despite everything.  
  
"We realized fairly quickly that it wasn't going to work. So we decided there was nothing left for us to do but to turn ourselves in. We couldn't stand living in constant fear of being caught. And our guilt. We'd never meant to do anything bad, but inevitably, it DID happen.   
  
"So we were going to go turn ourselves in. We decided to take one last quick vacation before we lost our freedom. Because we were sure nobody would believe us and they would just smack us in jail forever."  
  
There was a murmur from the crowd indicating that they thought the teens should STILL be smacked into jail forever. It was a very small percentage of people though, and that reassured Star greatly.   
  
She continued. "I don't even know where we were going. We wanted to go out in style, though, so we'd hired our own private plane to make the trip. Not the most inconspicuous way to travel, I know, but we were going down anyway. So then something happened to the plane. It's like the engines blew up or something! It was terrifying! We landed in the ocean. I personally couldn't see anybody but Apple, and I feared for the worst. So Apple and I swam towards the only shore we could find and we found everybody else already there. But no pilots. The pilots were gone.  
  
"We made our life there on that island. We built huts and we hunted and we lived like the primitive Indians. And, inevitably, our relationships grew." She blushed and placed a hand tenderly on her bulging stomach. "Minx, I mean Magnolia, got pregnant and she had a baby. Apple and I delivered him ourselves. Magnet, I mean Jose, is the father. We named him Charlie." She glanced at Charlie fondly.   
  
"I got pregnant shortly afterwards. Then, a couple months later, we saw the ship." Star said. "We were pretty content with our lives on the island, but we wanted our children to have something better. So we lit a signal fire and the ship saw it and sent out a rescue team to get us.  
  
"We were given amazing hospitality on board the ship. People gave us clothes. They fed us. The doctor tended to us. Then, we arrived in New York. The police took us and we told our story to them. Much briefer than just now." She allowed herself a wry smile. "Then they put us in jail and we've been there until today."  
  
"And that is the end of your story?" Reynolds asked, marking something else on his extensive notes.   
  
"I certainly hope not." Star said, her shoulder sagging wearily. "I am only a young girl. I've been stupid. We all have. We know our mistakes and we've learned our lessons. We're sorry for what we've done. But all we want is a second chance. A chance to make something of ourselves that we're not ashamed of."  
  
The crowd murmured in appreciation at the final few lines of the extensive speech. A few quietly applauded.   
  
Star weakly smiled. She was hurting. Everything hurt. Especially the baby. Something was wrong and she knew it.   
  
Squid, sensing her discomfort, moved to her side despite the reproving look from the judge. He gently took her hand. Then he looked up at the judge.   
  
"Please let her go. She's in a lot of pain." Squid pleaded.   
  
The judge, it seemed, had some compassion after all. "We will reconvene in three hours. Court adjourned." And he smacked his gavel on his podium.   
  
Squid helped Star to her feet, supporting almost all her weight against him. Reporters shoved forward to ask them questions as the police escorted them out of the courtroom.   
  
Fidget quietly told them that this was a privately personal matter and that she appreciated their concern but it honestly wasn't any of their business. They'd never done anything to these reporters, and so she politely hoped they wouldn't do anything to them.   
  
I know you're thinking, omg that was the most boring chappy in the world, but it was important. The trial is probably one of the most important things that's happened to our weary, travel worn convicts. So I'm sorry that it was boring. Because it was important. Okay, well (pleading look) will you please, please, with a cherry on top, give me 125 reviews?? For my birthday?? I suppose I will post again if I only get 120, but it would really make me happy to get 125!! Just think!! The more you review, the most posties you get!! Luvs, hugs, and kisses!! 


	32. bad news

Aggghh! I haven't updated since summer!! You wouldn't think that I would choose tonight to update, since I spent all day at a family reunion. We played football, took a hayride, climbed mountainous stacks of hay bales, and chased cows. And I am exhausted. Like hardly can hold my head up even though it's only 9 here. But I know I need to update. So I'm updating all my stories. And hopefully it won't take me too much longer to get this done.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Are you okay?" Squid whispered in her ear. Star winced in pain with every step she took. Her swollen ankles hurt worse than ever, and her stomach throbbed.  
  
"Yeah," She lied, forcing her face to appear calm. "I-I'm just really tired. I need to lie down for a few minutes or something."  
  
"We'll go with you." Apple and Minx offered, and the three of them headed down the hall toward a rest area with a couch that they had passed earlier.  
  
"What's really going on?" Minx demanded. She had handed her son over to Magnet, and her young face was lined with worry.  
  
"I don't know," Star said, tears filling her eyes. Apple and Minx couldn't even remember the last time they'd seen their best friend cry. "………but I'm scared………"  
  
"I'll run and get the doctor." Apple said distractedly, and she raced off down the hall with her heels making dry clicks.  
  
She returned a few minutes later with the doctor on her heels, and the doctor led her away to an examining room.  
  
Minx and Apple waited nervously outside the door, holding hands. There was something very wrong here, and they wanted to know what it was.  
  
A minute or so later, the doctor rushed out and found a phone. "I'm at the courthouse!" He barked into the receiver urgently. "I need an ambulance as soon as possible! It's an emergency!" Then he slammed the phone down and raced back into the examining room.  
  
"What's going on?" Minx clutched at his sleeve desperately as he passed.  
  
"Let go!" He barked distractedly, and disappeared inside.  
  
The ambulance arrived a few minutes later. Star, tears streaked down her starch-white face, was loaded into the back. Minx and Apple had run and informed the others of what was going on, and Squid managed to slip in with her just as the doors were closing.  
  
"What's going on?" He whispered urgently to her. She looked so small and frail now, even though she was bulging with the baby. She was so scared as she clutched at his hand. Her palms were sweaty. She was covered in sweat and had a fever, but shivered from chills.  
  
"I-it's the baby!" She stammered, her breath coming in ragged gasps as bursts of pain overwhelmed her senses. "T-there's something wrong with t-the baby!"  
  
Not wanting to put her in any more pain, Squid fell silent and worriedly held her hand.  
  
The hospital was cold and very businesslike. Even in the emergency room. Bypassing all lines, Star was rushed straight into an operating room. Squid was forcibly detained outside.  
  
Star was scared. She couldn't remember ever being so scared before in her entire life. Nothing had gone wrong with Minx's pregnancy. Why her? Why her?  
  
"The baby's dead." The doctor from the courthouse informed the surgeons, who were pulling on surgical gloves and readying their equipment already. "If you don't get it out successfully, then the girl will die too."  
  
"We can do it." The surgeon assured the doctor, and then the man was shooed out.  
  
Star felt panic flooding every particle of her being as they injected her with tranquilizers. Her baby……… dead………  
  
When she came to, her stomach throbbed. But it wasn't the same. It was different.  
  
Her hospital room was deserted. It was cold and she had chill-bumps raised on her arms. Then everything came rushing back to her.  
  
She threw back the covers and lifted up the skirt of her hospital gown. Her stomach no longer bulged with child. Instead it was stretched and then smoothed, with a long scar running the length of her abdomen.  
  
The shock was too much for her just now. She couldn't comprehend that her baby was dead. Dead, and she'd almost died with it.  
  
The door opened and Squid came into the room. He was carrying a bottle of water, but he dropped it immediately when he saw that Star was awake. Leaving the bottle where it had fallen, he rushed to her side.  
  
"I-it's dead, isn't it?" She asked, tears of agony filled up her eyes.  
  
Squid bowed his head and took her hand. "Yes. It was a little girl, but she's dead. I got to see her. She was so pretty, even though she wasn't fully developed."  
  
"What happened?" Star sobbed, burying her head into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms comfortingly around her.  
  
"The umbilical cord wrapped itself around the baby's neck and suffocated her." He explained, closing his eyes against the tears that threatened to come. "We didn't have sonograms or anything while we were in jail, so it was impossible to tell."  
  
"Why us?" She wailed, her whole body shaking with her tears. "Why did it have to happen to us?"  
  
"I don't know." Squid shook his head, holding her close. "I just don't know………"

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Okay, I know this is incredibly short and all, but I think it's a fairly important chappie, don't you? I mean……… well you know what I mean. You've read the chappie. Anyway, review quick for me or no posties for you!! I'm the postie nazi!! Okay, yeah, just review. 


	33. is it over?

Okay, I am muy sorry for not updating sooner. My friends at school are all like 'you have to update!!' and I actually feel like updating now so I am. I am lucky to have such dedicated readers such as yourselves who still read my posties even when I am being a postie nazi and withholding all posties from you. sob I love you guys!!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Minx, Apple, and all the other girls came to visit Star in the hospital the next day. They found their friend curled up in a little ball in her hospital bed. Her silky hair was pulled back off her face in a loose braid, and her face was bathed constantly with cool water, but her face held a blank look as she stared uncomprehendingly at the wall.

"Star?" Jewel asked nervously, reaching out a tentative hand and gently stroking her friend's pale, clammy forehead. "Are you okay?"

No answer.

"Say something!" Fidget begged, dancing around the bed in a flurry of anxious movement. Her braids flew out behind her.

Star blinked, then rolled over. They all rushed to the other side of the bed so they were facing her again.

"Don't bother." Squid sighed heavily, coming into the room. "She won't talk. Even to me. The doctors say she's still in shock. They say it's likely she'll never recover." His face was lined and weary, and he seemed so much older than the last time they'd seen him.

"Snap out of it, Star!" Kitty snapped impatiently, giving the blonde girl a firm shake by the shoulders. "The baby's gone, and yeah it was a tragedy but it's over now and you've got to get on with your life! You'll have other babies, things will get better!"

"She's right." Rogue agreed softly, gently stroking Star's hair.

Star blinked again, and tears sprung to her eyes. She burst out wailing and clung to her friends. They piled around her and they wall cried themselves out.

"Thanks for coming." Star thanked her friends as the police began to escort them from the room. "It really means a lot to me."

"Just get better for us." Link make her promise.

"I will." Star assured them with a weary, forced smile.

The door shut behind them and all was silent. Squid came over to her bed, taking her small clammy hand in his own. He smiled down at her reassuringly.

"We'll get through this, Star. I promise." He assured her, giving her bony hand a loving little squeeze. "We'll make it through."

"You're right." She said bravely, nuzzling his hand softly. He smiled and kissed her gingerly.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Star was released from the hospital about a week later on heavy medication. She and Squid were returned to the jail.

Because of Star's emergency, the remainder of their court hearing had been pushed back several weeks. It was another two weeks before there was time enough to deal with it.

Everyone was led back to the same courtroom as before, and they sat in their stiff, hard-backed wooden chairs with grim, stony expressions.

"We have reached a decision concerning your fate." The judge announced to the accused young men and women at the end of the hearing. They all looked up at the stony judge without much hope in their once lively eyes. "We are sentencing you to two years of community service here in town. Also, those of you that are legal adults will be given the opportunity to take those that are not into your custody until they come of age. You will, of course, be expected to get jobs, find houses, and be a positive influence on the society. Do you think you can manage that?"

"Yes!" They practically shrieked, holding each others' hands tightly for fear that they hadn't hear their sentence right.

"Then you are released from prison forthwith." The judge banged his gavel on his podium. "You will be allowed to stay in government owned apartments for three months. After that, you will be completely on your own."

"Thank you so much sir!" The squeaked in gratitude as their handcuffs were finally removed. They were shown the exit, and they walked out into the sunshine together.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Lotsa reviews!! Mwuhahahahaha!!! 


	34. new surroundings

Okay, I am finally on Christmas vacay so I can finally post, right? I hope you guys like it, and I'm sorry to leave you with such a cliff-hanger last time. Reminder, I own everything in the story right now except the boys of D-tent. And also, I am going to marry Chuck so there! (to everyone who keeps telling me that I will not) Okay. I'll shut up now.

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The sixteen new citizens of Manhattan were loaded into four long black Cadillacs and driven to an apartment complex on the outskirts of the city. Though they were too excited about their release to look at much, they noticed something straight away.

There was something wrong with the apartment complex. It was a series of eight or ten tall buildings, made out of gray cement, surrounded by a high iron fence. The buildings were about ten stories tall, and ten windows lined each wall. Every window had a window box with perfect flowers. The lawns were unusually green and perfectly manicured. The swimming pool was clean and perfect.

The Cadillacs stopped at the gate and entered an entrance card into the mechanical box. The gates swung open on well-oiled hinges and they pulled through. They pulled up to the building with two golden A's on the side right next to the mechanical doors.

They were each given a key and they went into the building. It was tiled in chrome, with matching walls. A doorman, dressed impeccably in a black suit, smiled warmly at them. They got into the mirrored elevators and rode up to the ninth floor. There, they piled out.

They were to occupy four rooms. Star, Apple, Minx, and Fidget were to occupy 903. Jewel, Kitty, Link, and Rogue took room 904. X-ray, Armpit, Squid, and ZigZag took 905. And Caveman, Twitch, Magnet, and Zero were given 906.

Each apartment contained two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. The bedrooms were small and square, with gray carpet and pristine white walls. The beds were plain twin size, with no headboard or footboard and plain gray blankets with white pillowcases. A plain black nightstand stood between the beds in either bedroom and held a white cordless telephone. The bathroom was tiny, with a bath/shower, a toilet, a sink, and a closet. It was tiled in white with black wallpaper. The living room had white carpet and white walls. It had two black sofas and a glass coffee table. A small television sat across from the couches. The kitchen was tiled in black and white, with a small round table and a black counter.

They all gathered in 906 rather quickly after their arrival.

"Is it just me, or does this place seem kind of………" Kitty trailed off, unsure of quite the word she wanted to use.

"Creepy?" Fidget suggested. She was definitely uncomfortable in this place.

"Creepy? It's a government-owned piece of property. Sure it may be a little stiff, but that just means no wild parties." ZigZag pointed out.

"No, I agree with Fidget." Rogue disagreed. "This place definitely has a feeling of something not being quite right."

"Like a mystery." Apple gushed in excitement, her eyes lighting up in delight. "We can solve it and it'll be so fun!"

"Don't be ridiculous." Caveman reprimanded her gently, holding her hand tightly in his own. "We don't have time to go around chasing mysteries that don't exist."

"He's right." X-ray agreed, leaning back and stretching out with his feet on the glass coffee table. "We have to get jobs and earn money. We don't even have clothes."

"Then we'll just have to do the best we can." Minx said lightly, brushing back her loose hair. Charlie reached out and grabbed for it. "I'll go scrounge up a newspaper and we can start job-searching. Coming, Magnet?"

"You bet." He jumped to his feet and the two of them left the apartment.

"Who's really gonna hire sixteen kids who just got out of jail?" Armpit demanded skeptically, leaning back on his hands.

"You have to be optimistic." Link reminded him gently, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze.

"She's right." Jewel agreed, smiling broadly. "I'm gonna see if there's anything in the pantry. Anybody wanna help me scrounge up something for dinner?"

"I will." Star offered quietly. Ever since her release from the hospital a couple weeks before, she had been quiet and not quite herself. The others were continuously trying to draw her out of her shell, but it didn't always work.

"Thanks." Jewel smiled.

"TV time!" Twitch cried, grabbing for the remote control.

"You wish." Fidget slapped at his hand before her could reach it. "Go back to your own apartment. We'll come get you when dinner is ready." And with that, she and Link shooed everybody out of the apartment.

Little did they know, Fidget, Kitty, and Apple's suspicions about something not being right in the apartment complex were more true than they could have ever imagined.

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Okay, I know this one is really, really short too but I'm sorry and the next chappy will be longer and more in depth. But see, the story isn't over yet!! Review or I'll have to be like the little girl in the Ring and come through your computer screen and hurt you!! Lol! Jk! PS. I need 255 reviews before I post again!! 


	35. surprise!

Okay, this is another real chapter. I was seriously considering taking this story off the net completely, because I was (and still am) getting crap from people. But, after many urges from my loyal reviewers, I'm going to keep going with it. I would also like to point out about how many people corrected me on my mistake about nine hours. I am very unfamiliar with Texas's layout, mostly because I have never been there and also because we never went over Texas in geography. You see, I live in Tennessee. And every summer (well, maybe not this summer because of the hurricanes), my extended family and I drive down to Florida. The drive is usually about seven hours, so I just made something up that sounded right. I wasn't paying all that much attention because it didn't seem so very important. I realize now that it was. So I am going to go back and fix it. But right now I am just posting another chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and if you have any more flames about my story and Lakeway, don't bother reviewing. I've already heard anything you're going to yell at me.

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The next morning, Jewel was gone before anybody else got up. She felt invigorated, walking in the fresh dawn air by herself. It seemed like such a long time since she had been by herself.

She showed her identification pass, attached to her apartment key, to the old balding man in the glass booth and he opened the gates and let her out. She didn't want to waste any of the money that the government was allowing them, so she walked into the center of Manhattan.

She held the newspaper ads she had clipped out the night before tightly in her hand. She was dressed impeccably in a pair of pristine white slacks, a beautiful lavender blouse, and black heels. She looked very grown up and gorgeous as she strolled down the already crowded sidewalks, and she turned quite a few heads.

She finally reached the first place in question: Oricson's. (AN. Not a real restaurant that I know of, I just made it up) The place had a closed sign out front, but she had called ahead and had an interview all set up. She rapped sharply on the door with her knuckles.

A minute later, a tall light-haired girl wearing a dark green apron came to the door. She had a huge star drawn on her cheek in light pastel eyeliner. She unlocked the door and held it open.

"Hello. You must be Jaidyn Foster." The girl smiled brightly. Her smile was so white that it made Jewel blink several times, and her accent was so northern it was almost indecipherable. The girl wiped her hand on her apron and held it out. "I'm Sarah. I'm on cleaning duty today, but Ms. Ingram told me you were coming. She's the manager of this particular Oricson's. You probably talked to her on the phone."

"I did." Jewel nodded, shaking the girl's hand. She couldn't help but stare at the star drawn on Sarah's thin cheek.

Sarah seemed to note where Jewel's dark-eyed gaze was directed. She laughed good-naturedly. "Don't worry, I don't usually have body art. After I get off here, I'm going to an animal rights parade. I've got paw-prints all over my shoulders."

"Uh, cool." Jewel nodded uncertainly. She wondered if everybody had become like this girl in her absence from society.

"Oh, come in." Sarah stood aside and held the door open. Jewel stepped inside and followed the animal activist down a back hallway. She stopped in front of a closed office door with frosted glass windows. "Ms. Ingram is inside waiting for you. Go ahead." And then she went back to the main room, picking up her wiping rag as she went.

Jewel took a deep breath, raised her hand, and knocked politely on the frosted glass. There was a long pause, and finally a voice spoke from within.

"Come in." It called. The voice was rough and hoarse, as though the speaker had been smoking for a good many years.

Jewel turned the knob and pushed open the door. The woman sitting behind the desk was short and squat, with a somewhat flat nose that gave her a pug-like impression. She had an awful perm that was died a horrendous shade of red.

"Sit down." The woman said, hardly looking up from her computer screen. Her fingers were typing away as fast as lightning. Jewel obediently sank into one of the uncomfortable, stiff armchairs situated in front of the woman's desk. After a minute, the woman stopped typing and pulled a piece of paper out of a file. She pushed her horn-rimmed spectacles down on her flat nose and read the sheet.

"Jaidyn Foster, huh?" The woman read off the sheet. "I'm Ms. Ingram. I'm the manager for this Oricson's. So, how old are you Miss?"

"I'm eighteen, ma'am." Jewel explained.

"And why do you think you're qualified for this hostess's position?" Ms. Ingram inquired, tapping her fingertips against the countertop. "Oricson's is not just a rest-stop for truck driver's."

"Well, I'm very polite. I'm good with people." Jewel explained, struggling not to sound conceited. "I'm very organized and mathematical. I like things to be even and in order. I don't really lose my temper, so I could handle infuriating customers without making them even angrier."

She had finished her list of qualifications and sat waiting. Ms. Ingram didn't speak for a long while; just continued to drum her fingers on the surface of the desk.

Finally she lit a cigarette, took a long drag on it, and blew smoke out into Jewel's face. "What hours would you be willing to work?" She asked.

"As many as possible." Jewel replied immediately.

Ms. Ingram's deep-set eyes narrowed underneath her bushy brows. They were a different shade of red than her hair. "Why do you need so many?"

"Well, you see, my roommates and I are all unemployed right now and the government will quit paying rent on our apartment after a couple of months and we have to get enough money to rent new apartments."

"Why is the government paying your apartment rent?" The manager was definitely suspicious now; her finger tapping stopped.

"Well, we, uh, we've actually just been released from prison. But it was all just a misunderstanding." Jewel said quickly.

"Woah, woah," Ms. Ingram held up her hand to stop Jewel from continuing. "You were in PRISON?"

"Yeah, but it was all a big misunderstandi-" Jewel began again.

"No, I'm sorry. We cannot hire anyone who has been involved with the police." Ms. Ingram closed her file with finality. "You might try elsewhere, Miss Foster."

"But I-" Jewel began.

"You know the way out?" And Ms. Ingram began typing on her computer once more. It was as though Jewel had become invisible.

She sighed heavily and left, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. Sarah waved to her cheerfully as she left, but Jewel was too pissed off to wave back.

At the next several places she applied, she found the same kind of rejection. Nobody wanted to hire somebody who had been in jail, even in their circumstances. Some of the employers had heard of the Greenlake convicts, what they had done and how they had been readmitted go the community. Some felt sorry for her, but they weren't about to hire her.

Finally, at her last resort, she told a downright lie. Nothing about jail, or murder, or anything else her particular group of misfits had been involved in. And she was hired.

The place she was hired at was a nice restaurant called Ruth Chris (AN. Okay, this is a real restaurant down here in Tennessee, but I don't think there's one in New York. At least on my trips to New York I never saw one. But where was I going? I don't own this.) She was hired as a hostess.

It was late that afternoon when she returned her apartment. Everybody was gathered there, crowded around the television. Except for Fidget, Link, and Apple. Fidget had gotten a job at a candy shop where her weekly bonus was a bag of jelly bellies. Link had taken on a position at the public library, where she could spend every free moment poring over books. Apple had been hired at a boutique called Strawberries (great store, adorable clothes, shop there if you've got the chance) where she could flirt with any boy that was dragged in by his commanding girlfriend.

"What's going on?" Jewel asked, shoving herself on the chair beside X-ray. He threw his arm round her shoulders and drew her close, pressing his lips against her cheek.

"I hired a nanny to take care of the baby tomorrow," Minx said, holding Charlie up and helping him to stand on his legs. "So I can go interview for jobs."

"Shouldn't you just stay home and take care of him?" Star asked worriedly. She had a newspaper spread out on the coffee table before her, and she was poring over possible jobs and cutting out advertisements that would work for her.

"Oh I couldn't do that to everybody else." Minx shook her head rapidly, her long hair falling over her shoulder.

Just then, the apartment door flung open and Fidget raced in. She had a hot pink smock tucked under her arm and a little paper hat fluttering in her pocket. Her hair was coming loose from its ponytail, and her eyes were wide. She almost appeared to be hyperventilating.

"God, Fidget, what's wrong with you?" Rogue was out of her chair at once, tugging at her best friend's arm to lead her over to the chair. "Are you okay? Take deep breaths?"

"You'll never guess what I just saw!" Fidget shrieked, dancing around the room. She tripped over the coffee table and landed hard on her hands and knees. She was up on her feet again immediately, and hit the wall. She stumbled back a step.

Twitch jumped to his feet, grabbed his tiny girlfriend by the shoulders, and shook her roughly. "Deep, calm breaths." He told her.

Fidget slowly complied, and after a moment she had calmed down enough to relate what she had seen. "They're digging it up in the gardens by the main gate!" She cried. "A dead body!"

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Sorry for such a cliff-hanger, but I thought you might enjoy a good update. So here it is, specially for you awesome reviewers and I love you all mucho! I'm going to be pretty busy for a little while. My school starts back tomorrow after break, and we've got wrestling matches (I'm a wrestling manager) two or three times a week until the end of February. I'm the vice president of my school's writing club, and we've got to plan a new years party and readings and movie nights and so on and so forth. Plus I'm moving. So it might be a bit until I update. Sorry. A lot of GOOD reviews will probably help me to update faster! Lol! No more flames, please. Mucho amor a Uds! ( I have no idea if that came out right, so don't yell if it's not.) By the way, I dunno why a Tennessee camp would send their kids to Texas they just did for the sake of the story. 


	36. investigation

Okay. I lied before. I said I was going to go back and change the first four or five chapters, but I am way too busy to deal with that. So, you guys will all just have to deal with it. I've stopped getting flames about camp lakeway (by the way, MunkyMuppet never contacted me so she's fine with it) so now all is happy happy. Anyway, I've been busy and I'm going to continue to be busy. But I'm going to try and keep this story updated. I've not been doing a very good job on that and I apologize. Now, on with the story!

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They all stared at her in shock. The room was entirely silent except for the occasional gurgle or two from Charlie.

"A dead body?" X-ray repeated incredulously, Jewel still perched awkwardly on his lap.

"Here? In the compound? Owned by the government?" Minx's mouth fell open and she almost forgot about her son in her arms.

"Everybody who has access to the inside of this compound either works for the government directly or is under constant surveillance like us." Squid said, biting his lip and thinking hard.

"Well………none of us did it, right?" Star hurriedly looked around at them all to make sure. They quickly and firmly shook their heads.

"So does that mean that a government official murdered somebody?" Caveman asked awkwardly.

"Either that or it was a group effort and several of them did." ZigZag nodded glumly, his arm snaked about Kitty's waist.

"Well I'm not about to just sit around and wait for it to come on the news!" Fidget exclaimed, heading for the door with Twitch right behind her. "I'm going to go see what's going on!"

"Don't!" Apple shot out an arm and stopped her. "Don't go out there, dummy!"

"What? Why?" Fidget stopped with her hand on the doorknob. She looked at Apple like she was an alien from the eighth nebula of Orion or something.

"They're going to think it was us!" Apple exclaimed desperately. "Right when we move in, dead bodies start showing up? This is not going to look good for us!"

"Well we didn't do anything," Magnet pointed out. "There isn't going to be any evidence of our guilt when we had nothing to do with it. It shouldn't hurt to go and check it out."

"What do you think Star?" Link turned big round eyes upon Star. She was sitting on the couch in between Armpit and Rogue, and she was holding Rogue's hand.

"Me?" Star was surprised. Why were they all looking at her like that? Since when had she controlled everybody's every move? "Well, I guess it's okay. I'm pretty curious myself, I guess."

And that settled it. Everybody was up and heading for the door.

"I'm going to stay here." Minx announced as they all struggled to fit through the tiny front door. "I don't want to expose Charlie to such things."

"I'll stay with you." Apple offered. "Dead bodies don't really suit me anyway."

So everybody, minus Apple and Minx and the baby, raced down the thick metal stairs and out to the front gate.

The police had already set up yellow caution tape around a square section of garden. They had dug up rows and rows of pretty wildflowers and were digging deeper and deeper. There were two body-bags lying zipped up just inside the tape, and still they kept digging.

"Two bodies!" Kitty turned to Fidget with giant eyes. "I thought you said they'd only dug up one!"

"Another one must have turned up when I ran inside to get you guys." Fidget shrugged, watching in fascination as a pale and mottled arm appeared underneath a shovel. Star and Jewel made sick faces and turned away in disgust.

"You kids need to get on out of here." A policeman caught sight of them and ambled over, his face serious. "This is no attraction. What are you doing in here anyway?"

"We live here sir." Link said politely, her hands folded innocently behind her back. She was wearing a blue jumper with a white sash that tied behind her back. She looked perfectly adorable.

"In this compound?" The policeman narrowed his eyes on them. It was obvious he didn't believe them. And why should he? He shook his head. "Go stand back there a little ways. Don't get in our way." And he turned back to his work.

The group backed up to the edge of the drive and continued to watch in sick fascination as the policemen took a third body, this one of a nude and branded little girl, out of the deepening hole.

The head policeman shot another suspicious look at the kids watching from the sidelines and headed over to the manager of the compound, who was being questioned at the time. The manager was a well-rounded middle-aged man with distinguished salt-and-pepper hair and a freshly pressed suit. His name was Mr. Rydell.

"Can I steal you away for just a moment, sir?" The policeman asked, and without waiting for an answer he pulled Mr. Rydell to the side.

"Can I help you, Officer?" Mr. Rydell looked frightened. He was pale and sweaty. A definite suspect, and he knew it.

"My name's Officer Handy," The policeman introduced himself with a curt nod of his head. "Those children standing over there, on the edge of the drive; they say that they live here. Do you know them?"

"Yes Officer, they do live here." Mr. Rydell nodded and continued to wring his hands nervously. "They moved in just days ago, as a matter of fact."

"What are a bunch of children doing living in a government compound?" Officer Handy sounded quite harsh as he asked. "It seems highly inappropriate."

"They've just been released back to the community. They're here under surveillance to make sure that they will obey all our country's laws." Mr. Rydell explained.

"What did they do?" Officer Handy demanded.

Mr. Rydell gave the policeman a superior look. "What, you haven't heard of the Greenlake Killers?" He demanded.

"Those kids are the Greenlake Killers?" Officer Handy turned incredulously to the gaggle of children watching intently. Sure he had watched the news reports about them whenever they came on, but they weren't recognizable now that they were cleaned up and respectable-looking.

"Yessir, sure as I'm standing here." Mr. Rydell nodded, turning to look at the children as well. They held each other's hands and whispered terrified comments back and forth.

"It seems to me like we've got our primary suspects then." Officer Handy pulled out a notepad and began scribbling something down on it.

"Oh no, Officer. Those kids didn't kill anybody." Mr. Rydell fervently shook his head. "As much as I'd like to have the killer caught and done away with, I know for a fact that those kids didn't do it."

"And why is that?" Officer Handy demanded coldly. He hated civilians, even civilians associated with the higher government, telling him how to do his job.

"Well as soon as the guard dogs uncovered that first body, we instinctively thought of those kids too." Mr. Rydell explained. "But we've had them on surveillance twenty-four hours since they entered the compound. And they came straight from their trial to the compound. Only three of them went outside of the compound this whole time, and they were all three girls."

"And why couldn't it have been one of those three girls?" The policeman demanded.

"Because none of them match up with the killer's build." The manager shook his head. "On the surveillance camera, the person doing the burying was dressed all in black from head to foot, even with a mask over their face. But specialists have been doing analyses ever since the footage was recovered and not a single one of those kids matches up with that body."

"Hmm." Office Handy turned away from Mr. Rydell, done with him for the moment. These new revelations were certainly promoting the innocent of the Greenlake Killer's, but the policeman wasn't about to dismiss them completely from the case. Not in the least bit.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Link announced wearily, turning away. "I think I'm going to go back upstairs now."

"I'll go with you!" All the girls were quick to offer. Not one of them wanted to stay down there with three dead bodies, and possibly a fourth or more. The boys didn't want to stay by themselves, so they all headed back up to their apartments.

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A little slow right now, I know, but in the next chapter, you'll see how our favorite convicts get drawn into yet another murder story. Anyway, like I said before, I've been super busy and everything but I really am going to try to keep everything updated from now on. Whenever I have the chance!


	37. the bodies

I know I haven't updated as much as either you or I would like, but that's why I'm working on it now. Hopefully it won't take me too long to update anymore. It _is_ summer vacation, and I'm quitting my job too so I can focus on guard…course guard is going to be taking up a lot of my time too…we have practice twice a week during the summer up until band camp, at the end of July. And during the school year, we practice every day. Except Sunday. Anyway, why am I boring your eyes off with this? On with the story!

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"They think it was us." Kitty said as soon as they were safely back inside one of the apartments. "You can tell by the way they kept looking over at us and whispering."

"Like we couldn't see them." Rogue said disgustedly. "Annoying pricks."

"Well of course they think it was us." Caveman said logically, sitting down in a chair. Apple came over and squeezed next to him. "Like Apple said, as soon as we move in, dead bodies start showing up. And we were convicted of murder. They obviously know that we're capable of killing somebody…"

"Those were accidents!" Link burst out, her face very pale. Her lower lip trembled and she looked like she was about to cry. "We didn't mean to!"

"Of course they were accidents." Armpit assured her, shooting Caveman a dirty look for upsetting his girlfriend. "We would never kill anybody on purpose."

"Though many people have tried to kill us." Squid muttered under his breath. Star gave him a shut-up glare.

"You think it's on the news yet?" Fidget asked, squirming over everybody else to reach the television. She flipped it on.

"No." X-ray said as nothing popped up on any of the news channels. "As soon as they find out about, we'll see the news trucks outside."

"Good point." ZigZag said, and they all rushed over to the window. The diggers were giving up. They had dug very deep, and no more bodies had been uncovered. The three bodies that had been dug up were being carted away in an undertaker's van.

"Guess the news crews missed it." Twitch commented, leaning so far out the window that Caveman and Armpit grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him back in. Armpit had developed a horrible fear of heights ever since Paris…

A knock sounded on the door of the apartment. They all exchanged worried looks, then Star pulled it open. Officer Handy stood there, looking stern. Two more policemen were with him, looking as though they already believed the kids had done the killing.

"Hello Miss…"

"Serendipity Miller." Star introduced herself quickly.

"Miss Miller. I'm Officer Handy, with the New York Police Department. Do you mind if we step inside for a moment?" He brushed past her without waiting for an answer. "We have a few questions to ask you kids."

"Um…no problem…" Star shut the door behind the three policemen and leaned against it awkwardly. With three fully grown men inside now, there was practically no room to move around.

"You saw the bodies dug up by the gate, correct?" Handy demanded, flipping open a notepad and taking a pen from his belt.

"Yeah, we went out to watch." Star nodded.

"And how did you know there were bodies being dug up?" Handy demanded, fixing her with a steely glare. He obviously already believed them guilty as well.

"Fidget, I mean Fox," Star pointed to Fidget, who waved slightly. "Was coming back from work and she saw the first body being dug up and came and told us."

"Where do you work?" Handy demanded of Fidget.

"Candy Craze." Fidget answered promptly, and he scribbled it down in his notebook. Then he turned back to Star.

"Don't you think it's sort of morbid that you all rushed out to view a dead body?" He demanded of her, his eyes glinting maliciously.

"All humans are drawn to anything out of the ordinary." Jewel explained philosophically. "If other people had been around to know what was going on, they would have come to see the bodies too."

"Well from what I understand, your former lives weren't ordinary at all. In fact, they were the very opposite." Handy's lip curled up into a snarl of a smile. "Stealing money, killing people, being pirates, causing scenes on national monuments…"

The kids didn't answer. They were all glaring at Officer Handy with the utmost loathing. The two officers with him were smiling knowingly as though the kids had offered them a confession.

"We didn't kill those people, Officer Handy." Star said firmly, trying to keep the rage from her voice. "I know you think we did, but we didn't. You should be interrogating somebody else, because we don't know anything."

Officer Handy slapped his notebook shut. "I'd like you to come down to the station. See if you can maybe identify the bodies."

"We've already told you!" X-ray burst out in annoyance. "We've just got normal lives back! We don't _know_ anybody!"

"All the same," Handy said coldly. "Come with me."

The kids had no choice but to follow him, Minx clutching Charlie tightly in her arms. They all piled into the police cars, which turned on their sirens as though they were carrying criminals.

They pulled up in front of a morgue. It looked like a normal building from the outside, but they all shivered with the depression of the place. They all piled out, and Officer Handy and his cronies led the way up a flight of stairs and into a cold room that smelled strongly of chemicals.

A tall, broad-shouldered woman wearing a white labcoat and a surgical mask over her nose and mouth approached them. "Good afternoon." She greeted them seriously. "I am Doctor Ellis. I'll be doing the autopsy on the bodies."

"Good afternoon, Doctor Ellis." Officer Handy nodded respectfully to her.

The kids were passed surgical masks and gloves to wear, and they put them on. Doctor Ellis suggested that Charlie shouldn't be present, as the fumes were exceptionally strong. So one of the cronies took Charlie and waited outside. The others could see Minx fidget with worry.

Ellis uncovered the first body. This one was of a young girl. She was probably about thirteen years old, nude. Her pale body was pasty and covered in dirt. She had bruises all over her body. Her blonde hair was a tangled muddy mess. A huge chunk near her left temple had been ripped away, leaving a bloody raw spot. There were rope burns around her neck, and she had a brand on her right hip, in the shape of a circle with a lion inside.

"Obviously strangled." Ellis said, running one of her gloved fingers over the rope burns, which cut deep into the girl's flesh. "But that could have happened after she was already dead." She opened the girl's mouth. "Got all her teeth. Fully developed." Taking a pair of pliers, she wrenched a tooth loose. The kids all winced. "Dental records." Ellis explained.

She looked at the bruises on the wrists and ankles. "It would appear that she was bound and was trying to get free." Ellis explained. It was obvious she enjoyed having an audience. The kids realized that most of the time she had to do this by herself.

She covered the first body and moved to the second one, on a different table. The kids, Officer Handy, and the cronie that was still present moved with her.

The second body was also of a young girl, who couldn't have been more than seven. The kids found her naked, bruised, and bloody body repulsive. Link had to bury her face in Armpit's chest to keep from vomiting.

The same bruises on the wrists and ankles were on this child too, and the rope burns around her neck. The brand was on her right hip. Her blonde hair was equally matted, and another huge chunk had been ripped away.

Ellis pried a tooth from this girl's tiny mouth as well. "She's missing a tooth already, but that could have nothing to do with the attack. At her age, she should be losing her baby teeth." Ellis explained as she deposited the tooth into a Petrie dish and labeled it properly.

Then she took a wet sponge in a pair of tongs and began dabbing at the blood on the girl's head. The blood was slowly sponged away, and the pale skin of the girl's scalp became visible. "Now what's this?" Ellis breathed, mostly to herself. She took a magnifying glass and zoomed in on the now cleaned spot of scalp.

"What is it?" Handy demanded eagerly.

"She's been injected with something." Ellis said, indicating a tiny pinprick in the scalp. "Somebody put a needle into this girl's scalp."

She hurried over to the first body and cleaned the bloody scalp. She let out a pleased exclamation as she uncovered another needle mark.

They moved on to the third body. This was the one the kids had seen being removed from the ground. She was probably about nine, with the same odd markings on her body as the first two. When the bloody place on her scalp had been cleared, they found yet another needle mark.

"It'll take a few hours for the results on the injection to come back." Ellis said, covering up the third body and pulling her gloves off. "You can wait around, Officer Handy, but I really don't think it's a good idea keeping these kids here."

Officer Handy looked miffed at the coroner telling him how to do his job. It was one of his biggest pet peeves. "Yes, well." He said stiffly. "That is entirely up to me, now isn't it?" And he ushered them out of the autopsy room.

Minx snatched Charlie from the cop holding him, and cuddled him closely. Even being away from him for a little while caused her great anxiety.

"Alright, we'll take you back to your apartments." Handy said after thinking it over a bit. "Are you sure you don't recognize those girls?"

"YES!" They shouted at him.

He grimaced, but they were taken home.

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Okay, I guess I've been watching shows like CSI too much…oh well…it was kind of fun to write…anyway, more next chappy! Review! No posties till I get 305 reviews. It's only ten, so you guys can do it!


	38. ideas

Hey you guys did a great job of reviewing so here I am updating! Hope you like this next chappy! Needless to say, I do not own anything that is not mine. (As per the characters that are not in the book/movie are mine.)

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Rogue definitely didn't want to get up the next morning, but she did. Her alarm clock went off at five AM. She yawned and stretched luxuriously in her small bed, kicking the blankets off the side of the bed in a pile.

She got up, yawning again, and quickly made the bed. She ran a brush through her hair and got in the shower. Once sufficiently clean, she got dressed and dried her hair. Then she grabbed a poptart from the pantry and headed out of the apartment.

She felt awkward and dorky, wearing pressed black pants and a silky sage green blouse with black pumps. Her fluffy hair hung elegantly against her round cheeks, and she looked fairly corporate.

She showed her pass to the guard at the gate and he let her through. Even though it was a bit of a ways to walk to her new job, she wanted to enjoy the freedom of the morning and not waste it away sitting in a stuffy cab that smelled of cigars. So she walked.

She got about a block down and her feet started killing her. She was tempted to take her shoes off and walk barefoot, which is what Fidget would have done, but she knew better. She got on the bus and took it to her new building.

She had been hired as a legal secretary in an office building. The man who had hired her had a daughter a little younger than Rogue, and he had felt sorry for her when she'd come for the interview. And when she'd showed him her mad typing skills and her impressive resume from before Camp Arden, he'd been very impressed and hired her immediately.

She entered the building. The security guard, probably in his mid-twenties, smiled and raised his hat to her flirtatiously. Normally this would have angered Rogue, but not today. She blushed prettily and got into the elevator. She rode it to the eighteenth floor and climbed off.

It was an ordinary-looking floor. It had gray walls and blue carpet. Doors lined the hallways in both directions. She headed for the right one and unlocked it with her key.

There was nobody there yet. She didn't mind. Sometimes she liked to be alone. It was a nice change from being with the same people for so long. She loved them all to death, she really did, but they got on her nerves on many an occasion.

She put her black purse underneath her desk in the lobby of the office and booted up her computer. It was nice to have such a high-tech computer. Before she'd been sentenced to Camp Arden, she'd been a whiz kid. She knew everything and anything there was to know about hard drives and software. After she'd logged onto her computer account, she turned on the coffee pot in the conference room. It beeped and whirred into life, and soon, the delicious smell of fresh coffee filled the entire office.

The first person to arrive was a woman Rogue had already learned to admire and look up to. She was young, probably in her early to mid thirties. She wasn't really very pretty to look at. But as soon as she stepped into the room she just emanated a liveliness that drew everyone to her. And when she spoke, people had no choice but to listen to the words of wisdom that poured from her, even though the people had to pick out the wise words from the sarcasm in between.

"Morning Reagan." Ms. Handley smiled broadly, showing the gap in her front teeth proudly. She had the kind of teeth Rogue would expect to find lipstick stains on, but alas, Ms. Handley wore no lipstick.

"Good morning, Ms. Handley." Rogue smiled politely, and it was a real, genuine smile. The kind of smile she usually only reserved for Fidget and Zero. And very occasionally the other members of her motley group of companions.

"You're in early today." Ms. Handley commented, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She used the same coffee cup every day. She said it brought her good luck with her day's work. It was a white coffee cup with a big kiss-print on it.

Rogue had thought the coffee cup very odd when she'd first started working there. She'd asked Ms. Handley about it, and the woman had said, "The coffee cup is to remind me that even if I'm having a bad day, at least my coffee cup always loves me and is ready to give me a kiss." And Rogue had thought it was inspirational, in an odd sort of way.

Ms. Handley was the closest thing Rogue had had to a mentor in a long time, so she figured she could trust her. "Hey Ms. Handley?"

"Yeah hon?" Ms. Handley looked up from the papers that had come through the fax machine during the night, through which she was rifling.

"Well, something happened at my apartment yesterday." She began, and she proceeded to tell the woman all about the bodies and the accusations and everything that had happened.

Ms. Handley paused while she processed this information. "And those cops think you and your friends had something to do with those murders?"

"Yeah, and we can't explain to them that we've been under constant surveillance from the time we entered that complex to the time we left it." Rogue nodded vehemently, feeling herself get worked up even more.

"Well if you didn't do it, there's nothing much you can do to prove it." Ms. Handley shook her head, draining her coffee cup. She got up to head back to her office and called over her shoulder in a joking manner, "Unless of course you caught the crooks that did it!" And she disappeared.

Rogue chewed on her lower lip and thought. "Yeah, why can't we catch this murderer?" She thought to herself. "He may be just as scared of us as we are of him! After all, we've bee accused of murdering more than one person. And all of them adults, bigger than us. That's the way to clear our names!"

But then she had absolutely no idea how to carry out this ingenious plan of hers.

Her stomach began rumbling as noon rolled around. She watched the clock closely, waiting for her chance to zip down to the restaurant underneath the building for a baked potato or a grilled cheese sandwich.

The bell above the door tinkled as somebody came in. Rogue looked up, pasting a fake friendly smile on her face, but then a real smile replaced the fake one. There, in his work clothes from the UPS store, stood Zero.

"Hey!" She smiled, jumping up and kissing him quickly on the cheek. "What're you doing here?"

"Well I knew it was your lunch break so I figured we could go and grab something together." He suggested shyly.

"That's a great idea!" Rogue was eager to tell him about her plan to capture the murderer, and she hoped he would have some good ideas. She glanced at the clock. "It's about two minutes before I'm supposed to leave. Lemme go ask."

She headed down the hallway to her employer's office. "Mr. Drake?" She asked politely, tapping on his doorframe. "Is it alright if I leave for lunch now? My boyfriend's here to surprise me."

"Of course Reagan. Go ahead. Just be back by one." Mr. Drake smiled through his thick spectacles.

"Thank you. I will." Rogue promised, and she and Zero left the building.

She explained her capturing idea to her boyfriend as they sat in a little café and ate lunch. After she had finished, he sat silent for a moment. "Well?" She urged.

"It has some merit to it." He answered her honestly. "But I don't think I'm the person to come up with the plan. I think you should tell the others about it."

"I will." Rogue nodded. "At least one of them should be able to come up with something!"

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Dun-dun-dun-duuuuun! Cliffy! Yay! Go me! Um yeah, so I went back through this story, and it has currently taken place over the course of twenty-one months. That's almost two years. Yay! That's cool. They're getting older now. They should all be like 18ish now. Around there. Yay! Legality rules! Um yeah…so I got my ear pierced again yesterday. It was awesome. Now I have four holes in my left ear and one in my right. It rocks. So yeah, you know the drill: 320 reviews. That's 10. You guys are amazing so I know you can do it!


	39. bells

Okay, I know I haven't update this story in forever. So my marching band went on a cruise this past week, and it was an eleven hour drive to and from Jacksonville, Florida, which is where we got on and off the boat. So I took that twenty-two hour opportunity to write. Yay.

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Rogue was still thinking of a way to ask her friends what they thought about her idea that night. She found herself sitting cross-legged in the floor of one of the apartments, rocking Charlie to sleep. He was seven months by now, and getting big. He was also starting to look more and more like his parents, Rogue noted with a smile.

"What are you so happy about?" Fidget demanded crossly. It made her very angry indeed that most people though she was a murderer.

"Nothing." Rogue murmured softly, stroking Charlie's cheek.

Minx strode over, her silky pajama pants swishing round her tanned ankles. "I think I'll put the baby to bed now." She said, yawning emphatically with her small, heart-shaped mouth.

Rogue relinquished Charlie without complaint, and Minx disappeared to her bedroom in the back of the apartment to put the baby in his crib. Fidget was working through a set of difficult calculus problems in an armchair in front of the television set, which was muted on Wheel of Fortune. Star was paying bills at the kitchen table.

"You guys know how we could get the blame for these murders off of us?" Rogue began nonchalantly, leaning back on her hands and chewing on a strand of her chestnut ponytail.

Both Fidget and Star looked up from what they were doing. "How?" Star asked, wrinkling her nose so that her nose ring wrinkled with it.

"We could find the killer ourselves."

"Yeah, and just how are we going to manage that?" Fidget scoffed, pulling on one of her light brown braids.

"No, the idea has some real merit to it." Star shook her head, playing with the ends of her white-blonde hair.

The front door opened just then, and Jewel and Link walked in. "Anything cool happening in here?" Jewel wanted to know.

Star filled the two girls in. Then Minx returned from her bedroom and Star had to repeat the whole thing again.

"Well it's a good idea." Minx conceded, "But I haven't the slightest clue as to how to go about it all."

"Well that's easy." Link said calmly, her golden curls hanging over her shoulder. "All we'd have to do is plant a fake body and make it just like the murders he committed. Serial killers love the publicity they get, right? Our guy will be so angry that somebody is impersonating him that he will respond rashly. Then he'll make a mistake and therefore enable us or the authorities to capture him."

There was a long pause.

"Link, you're a genius!" Rogue finally broke the silence, her dark brown eyes alight with excitement.

"Thank you." Link answered modestly.

There was a knock on the door. They knew it had to be one of the boys or a stranger, because the girls never knocked. Jewel answered it, because she was closest. Magnet stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Minx, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" He asked. He spoke clearly, without his usual slur of Spanish, so they all knew that he was serious about something.

"Yeah, sure." Minx answered, pulling her robe tightly around her shoulders. She followed Magnet out into the breezy hallway, shivering. October in New York was cold, she'd discovered. She brushed back her black hair and turned to her boyfriend. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I know that to us we're already married, but I was thinking that maybe we should make it legal." He dug around in his pocket and produced a simple band with a tiny diamond. "Magnolia Wilson, will you marry me?"

Minx couldn't speak for a moment. She was so completely overwhelmed with love for the father of her baby.

After quite a pause, Magnet said, "Uh, Minx? You kind of have to answer."

"Yes! Of course I'll marry you!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and smothering him with kisses.

"She said yes!" Fidget shouted to the others from her eavesdropping place at the door, her calculus problems completely forgotten. The girls poured out the front door and showered their friends with congratulations.

The wedding was quick and informal, but infinitely romantic. Minx walked down the aisle of a small Christian church in a knee-length white halter dress, carrying a beautiful bouquet of white lilies. Her hair hung in ringlets down her bare back.

Star and Apple acted as bridesmaids in mismatched shades of blue. ZigZag and Zero were Magnet's best men. Jewel sat in the front pew, cradling Charlie in her arms. The baby cooed pleasantly throughout the ceremony.

The affair was short and to the point, and then the reception began, forcing all thoughts of murderers and catching them out of their minds.

The night was full of joyous revelry, and Minx was gladly the center of attention. Even her mother, who she hadn't seen in years, came to wish her daughter good luck and to see her grandson.

As the night wound down, Star found herself sitting at a back table with Squid. The candles on the white tablecloth-clad tables burned low, and Squid reached for his girlfriend's hand.

Star sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, her white-blonde hair falling down. "Magnet and Minx look so happy with Charlie." She mumbled, unable to quell her feelings. "We should be that happy. Our baby girl should be here with us."

Squid gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We will be that happy, Star."

"Promise?" She asked, looking up at him upside down.

"I promise." Squid nodded, leaning down to kiss her. "Oh, before I forget," He reached into his pocket and fished out a ring. "I figured it Magnet and Minx were doing it, we might as well too."

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There you go! I hope you enjoyed it! 328 reviews sound fair?


	40. the plan

Okay, so here's the next chappy. I know you guys have all been looking forward to it breathless. Cough cough. Yeah, so from now on, a new chapter should be up at the end of each month. So here you go with this one.

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Star and Squid were married the following weekend. It was the happiest moment of Star's short life so far.

When Monday rolled around, life resumed for the young adults as usual. They went to work, came home, studied in order to graduate high school, and went to bed. It was a very monotonous lifestyle, but they were pleased to have something normal after all their wild and crazy adventures.

It was Friday night, nearly a whole week since Squid and Star had gotten married, when a knock interrupted their studying.

Star, Apple, and Minx were sitting in the middle of the floor. Star was holding the American History textbook and reading out the questions. Apple was writing the questions and answers in a purple composition notebook in her neat, loopy handwriting. Minx was helping them answer the questions. She had Charlie in her arms, feeding him a bottle.

Star set aside the book and climbed to her bare feet. She walked over to the front door of the apartment and pulled it open.

Detective Handy stood there, looking grimmer than they had ever seen him. Star's first thought was that yet another body had been discovered. Instead, Handy said, "They've identified the three uncovered bodies."

Apple and Minx were on their feet in an instant, hurrying forward in order to see and hear better.

Handy held out three pictures of three different girls. Even though it was obvious that the girls in the photos were different people, they looked incredibly similar. They could have been sisters.

"Who are they?" Minx breathed, holding Charlie close. Her long, dark hair tumbled over her shoulder as she rocked gently backwards and forwards.

"April Radnor, Jade Brennan, and Whitney Ellis." Handy answered in that same grim tone of voice. "All three from the upper Manhattan area."

"How are they related? Were they random murders?" Apple, who had taken to watching CSI avidly lately, wanted to know.

Handy's look hardened. "That is classified information, young lady." He barked shortly.

"That means the cops don't know yet." Minx whispered to her two best friends.

Handy gritted his teeth and put his hat back on his head. "Just be aware of what's going on, ladies." He snapped. Then he turned and strode away.

"I think we're going to have to put Link's plan into action sooner than we thought." Star murmured, shutting the door. She called the others, and soon they were all seated in the first apartment.

"They identified the bodies." Apple informed the others. "The only link between the three victims is that they all came from the same area of town and they all look alike."

"So how do we draw the murderer out into the open?" Caveman questioned.

"We're going to plant a body and make it look like the first three murders." Rogue explained.

"Where are we going to get a body to plant?" Jewel demanded. "We're not going to kill anybody or anything."

"Of course not!" Kitty agreed vehemently.

"So we'll have to make a fake body." ZigZag shrugged.

"And how're we gonna do that?" Armpit demanded incredulously. There was a long pause as everybody thought it over.

"Why don't we swipe one of those dummies in the science lab at school?" Twitch suggested. The six of them were attending weekend classes to catch up in their missed schoolwork.

"We're trying to clear our names," Fidget sighed in exasperation, patting him on the hand. "Not convict ourselves more!"

"It may be the only way, though." X-Ray shook his head. "How would we be able to make it look dead, though? Like the other bodies?"

"We could make a paste out of flour and water." Link suggested in her small voice. "That would make the skin look cold and clammy; dead."

"We can do it." Star nodded decisively.

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Fidget strode determinedly toward the gate the following morning. She caught sight of an arm sticking out of the ground and walked over.

Then she started screaming. Maybe a little too dramatic, but it got the job done. Within seconds, security guards were sprinting at her from every direction.

She burst into theatrical sobs. "A body!" She wailed, pointing a shaky finger at the arm protruding from the ground. "Another one!"

Within the half hour, the police were on the scene. They removed the fake body, placed it into a body bag, and drove away.

"They'll realize that the body is a fake as soon as they take a good look at it." Kitty pointed out as they walked to their Saturday classes later that morning.

"As long as something leaks out into the press, and the cops are smart enough to keep their mouths shut, our purpose should be served." Star muttered.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Link murmured in a worried voice. "What if somebody else gets killed because of this?"

Nobody answered, because nobody knew what to say.

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That night, long after everyone else had gone bed, Star sat alone in the bathroom of her apartment. Minx and Charlie were asleep in the room she shared with them, and nobody else was up.

She sighed heavily and looked down at the pregnancy test in her trembling hands. The little plus sign trembled as she did.

She had expected to be filled with inexpressible joy upon seeing the affirmative on the test, but she wasn't. Instead, she was filled with fear.

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Okay, there's your next chappy. Okay, so can I suggest an amazing book for you to read? Well I'm going to suggest anyway. You should read the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I can't put them down, they are sooo amazing! I can't even explain how amazing they are. I've been neglecting the books I'm supposed to be reading for English because I can't stop reading these. There's seven total, and you should read them. Anyway, now that I'm done promoting Stephen King's works, review for me please!


	41. coming to a close

Sorry that the chapter for May is coming so late. I was really busy with end of the year schoolwork, vacation, and trying to find a job. I really need a job. I'm poor. : (

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Star woke up to Minx feeding Charlie the following morning, gently humming as she strode about the room. She looked very happy.

Star lay there, still pretending to be asleep, wondering if she could every be that happy. She didn't even dare to hope anymore.

As Star watched, Minx put Charlie down in his crib, covered him with his blanket, then crawled back into her bed. She looked across the room and saw her friend was awake.

"I hope I didn't wake you, Serene." She whispered.

Star smiled. She decided she liked her real name better than her nickname. Why the hell had she wanted to be called Star anyway? She wasn't a star. "No." She whispered back. "I was already awake." She paused. "You always look so happy when you're with Charlie."

"I am." Minx answered, smiling herself. "Just holding him close makes me feel like the luckiest person on the face of the planet. I know the others think I was crazy for getting crazy and popping out a kid, but I'm happy I did. I have a real family now."

"You're lucky." Star whispered.

"Yeah." Minx agreed, still smiling. "I am."

Jewel was cooking breakfast when they finally crawled out of bed and made it into the tiny kitchen. She was frying sausage and bacon, and Link was scrambling eggs.

"Oh god that's strong." Star gagged on the smell of the sizzling pork. Then she turned and raced to the bathroom, where she was promptly sick.

Minx was at her side immediately. "You okay? You look awful."

"I'm fine, Maggie." Star/Serendipity assured her friend, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Just… something I ate." She had no reason to keep her pregnancy a secret, especially from her best friend, but she was afraid. So afraid that it might turn out like last time…

There was a knock on the door, then Jewel shouted, "Somebody get that!"

"I'll get it, Jaidyn." Link/Laken said, then there was the sound of the front door being pulled open. "Detective Handy?"

Minx/Magnolia and Star/Serendipity were in the living room at once, eager to see why the detective had shown up at their apartment so early in the morning.

He looked around at them all, trying hard not to smile at them and not succeeding very well. "Well, your brilliant little plan worked." He informed them all.

"What plan?" Serendipity demanded innocently.

At the same time, Jewel/Jaidyn said, "It worked?"

Detective Handy chuckled. "Yeah, it worked. We kept it hush-hush when we realized it was a fake body, and our guy couldn't stand someone else thinking they could pretend to be him."

"What happened?" Magnolia demanded eagerly.

"Well, we posted a decoy little girl and sure enough, our serial killer came after her. We caught him just in time. It was a close call, though. A risk we don't like to take." His tone was serious by this time. "However, because you did help us out, the state of New York is going to honor you." He rolled his eyes as though he thought this was a bit much.

"Honor us?" Laken repeated nervously. "Honor us how?"

"Medals and some television coverage. Something along those lines." Detective Handy said in an offhand manner.

"Hey, this could be really good for our reputation." Serendipity said excitedly, then shut her mouth quickly as another wave of nausea hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Yeah, now maybe people won't see us as cold-blooded murderers, and more like misunderstood heroes." Jaidyn suggested hopefully.

"Maybe." Magnolia answered doubtfully.

"Anyway, here are the official invitations." Handy handed them sixteen envelopes. "Make sure your friends get theirs."

"We will." Laken took the invitations into her arms, hugging them close as though they were precious.

Detective Handy tipped his hat to them, then left.

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"Oh my god. There are almost as many news crews here as at our trial." Anastasia whispered to Serendipity as they climbed out of the government vehicles at Central Park, where the ceremony was being held the following afternoon.

Serendipity didn't answer. She figured if she opened her mouth, she'd just be sick again.

"Hey, you okay?" Alan asked, his arm wrapped around his wife's waist. "You look a little…pale." He noticed.

She nodded, forcing a smile. "I'm fine." She answered. "Just a little nervous about having to get up in front of all these people." She gestured at the crowd that had gathered.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He agreed.

The ceremony, however, took a relatively short amount of time considering there were sixteen people to award. Then they were loaded back up into the cars and driven back to the complex where they lived.

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"Where are you going?" Fox asked that Saturday afternoon, after they'd gotten back from their weekend classes at the high school.

"Job interview." Serendipity answered, flashing her friends a smile. She left the complex through the heavily guarded front gate, then hailed a taxi cab to take her to the Memorial Hospital.

She got out at the front door and rode all the way up to the maternity ward. She walked up to the front desk, brushing back her incandescent white blonde hair.

"Can I help you?" The woman at the front desk asked politely.

"Yes, I have an appointment with Dr. Brennan at four." She glanced at the clock on the wall. She was about ten minutes early.

"Just have a seat and the doctor will be with you shortly." The receptionist said politely. "If you'll fill out these forms while you wait…" She slid a clipboard full of papers and a pen across the desk.

Serendipity had just finished filled the forms out when a nurse called her name. She was taken back into an examination room, where a sonogram was performed.

"I understand this is not your first pregnancy, Serendipity." Dr. Brennan said, watching the image on the monitor closely.

"No. I lost the other one." She answered, feeling her heart flutter nervously.

"Well, this one is as healthy as can be." Dr. Brennan smiled. "You're about six weeks along." She pointed at the image on the screen. "The first heartbeats have started. As you can see, it's about one seventeenth of an inch long. The umbilical cord is developing; so are the eyes, ears, and an opening for the mouth. The heart is beginning to pump blood, and most of the other organs are well under construction. See these buds forming right here on the body? Those will be the arms and legs."

"Will this one be okay?" Serendipity interrupted. "Will this one live?"

"We're certainly going to do our best." Dr. Brennan assured her with a smile.

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Okay, I know it's short, but whatever. I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter coming in about twenty-something days! Review please!


	42. the end for real

Okay, I know. A year or so late. Whatever. I've been busy. And I just really got tired of this story. I've been meaning to end it for ages now, I just never thought of a way I liked stopping it. I mean, this is chapter freaking forty-two. Too long. Anyway, so now I'm a high school graduate and in about two short months I'll be 19 AND starting my freshman year in college. I'm majoring in… yep. You guessed it: English. Minoring in art and writing. I'm pretty excited about it. I also really like my new job, even if it keeps me busy. And I'm going this weekend to get my new tattoo!! Woot. Numero dos. Of course, if my parents ever found out, I'd get kicked out of the house but whatever. The nose ring will really hit them hard. : )

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7 months later

The luminescent clock on the stove flashed from 11:29 to 11:30. Wearing a pair of shiny red pumps and a pair of blue jeans shorts, Anastasia Yelnats chewed on the ends of her red hair absently.

Stanley, her husband of nearly three months, walking into the kitchen, tucking his button-up shirt into his khaki pants. He picked up a tray of hamburger patties and headed for the door leading out to the patio of the condo he and his bride had been living in since their small but sincere wedding.

"Where is everyone?" Anastasia burst out, putting her hands on her hips. All the gold bangles round her wrists clattered together with the fluid motion. "The invitations said 11:30 sharp, and no one is here yet!"

Her husband chuckled in amusement. "Give them some time, Anna. You know that none of our friends are punctual."

"I know." She sighed, and he disappeared to start grilling the burgers. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. This cookout would be the first time they were all back together after they had started moving out of the government complex nearly six months ago. It was a special time to her, and she knew it would be for the others as well.

The doorbell rang, cheering her up immediately. She smoothed out her red tunic top and strode down the short carpeted hallway to the front door. While the condo she and Stanley were renting wasn't top quality, it was the best they could afford on the salary of a fashion design intern and a computer programmer.

Anastasia pulled open the door and grinned at Alan and Serendipity Richards. They were a few months shy of celebrating their first anniversary as a married couple, and Serendipity was due in just a week or so. She was roughly the size of a small car, complete with swollen ankles, but she looked happy. Alan was beaming even more than his pregnant wife, one arm wrapped around her waist the best he could.

"Hi!" The redhead grinned, embracing her pregnant friend warmly. "You look great."

Serendipity rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "Don't lie to me. I look like a beached whale, I know it." Her friend couldn't help but laugh.

"Where's Stanley?" Alan asked, helping his very pregnant wife into an old armchair in front of the gas fireplace.

Anastasia sank onto the sofa across from the armchair. "He's out on the patio grilling the burgers. You can go on out here if you want." Alan didn't need to be told twice. He slipped out to reunite with his old buddy.

"This place is nice." Serendipity commented, glancing around the high-ceilinged living room. "Nice than the duplex Alan and I are staying in up in New Jersey. But, with the baby almost here, we wanted to save as much of our money as we could."

"Are you nervous?" Anastasia asked, still chewing on a lone strand of her red hair. "I mean, I know you're excited, but aren't you scared?"

Serendipity let out a dry little chuckle. "Of course I'm scared. I was present at Charlie's birth; I know how much pain Maggie went through. I'm afraid of another complication, although the doctors have been monitoring this pregnancy like the baby was a criminal on death row or something. So of course I'm nervous. But I also remember the way Maggie was with Charlie back when we all lived together. I can't wait to have that."

"Have you found out the gender yet?" Anastasia asked next, reaching for her glass of iced tea sitting on the coffee table.

Her blonde friend shook her head. "We want it to be a surprise, so we're waiting. I know it makes decorating the nursery a bit difficult, but with our incomes we're not being choosy."

The doorbell rang again, causing both girls to look up in surprise. "Excuse me just a second," Anastasia said, and she went down the hallway to answer the door again.

This time it was Jaidyn and Belladonna, who were currently rooming together in a flat in Manhattan. Jaidyn was currently the newest model working for an elite agency, who liked to use her mysterious and dangerous past to their advantage. Belladonna was working in some out-of-the-way Wiccan store in a strange alley near their flat.

Both of them had broken up with their boyfriends from Camp Greenlake. Jaidyn was dating some Abercrombie model, and the two of them had even made the headlines of People Magazine. Belladonna was dating around, trying to find somebody who could keep up with her quick wit.

Jaidyn and Anastasia exchanged hugs, but Belladonna just shook the redhead's hand. She wasn't a hugging sort of person, especially now that she had fallen out of everyday contact with her fellow ex-convicts.

The next to arrive was Laken and Theodore, who still weren't married but were every bit as happy and in love as they always had been. They had moved to Georgia and were renting a house down there, so it had been a very long trip to Rhode Island, where Anastasia and Stanley now lived.

Theodore was working construction now, and making fairly good money at it, too. The hard labor did what digging holes hadn't been able to: his flab had tightened into muscles. While he was still large, he was much better looking and far-less smelly than he had been at Greenlake. Laken was the personal assistant to some big shot executive at a shoe marketing company, and her eagerness to please and efficiency had already earned her two promotions, including pay raises and better benefits. They two were finally talking about getting married and settling down, although cautious Laken was still a bit hesitant to rush into anything.

Not ten minutes after Laken and Theodore had sat down in the living room with Jaidyn, Belladonna, and Serendipity, the doorbell rang again. This time it was Fox and Brian Parker.

They had been married for barely a month by this time, and they were living in Vermont. They had used their brief fame to get some credit from the bank, and they had purchased a candy store. While they sold the traditional candy in their store, they also created their own concoctions, which had made their store famous in a relatively short amount of time. They had already managed to pay off their loan from the bank.

They were living in the apartment above their store, and the two of them often stayed up into the early hours of the morning creating and testing their famous candy. In fact, their candy had become so popular in their small Vermont town that nearly everyone that lived there had showed up for their wedding.

Hector and Rex arrived next. They had come together because they were both still living in Manhattan and they had run into one another on the train, but they didn't have much in common anymore besides their residential locations.

Rex was saving up money to go to college and get a degree. Then he was hoping to make it through law school, but he didn't want to get ahead of himself. Working at a coffee shop and attending school part time wasn't exactly the best way to earn money.

The young man formerly known as Zero had taken a job at the morgue. After their encounter with the dead bodies and the serial killed in the government compound, he had become obsessed with criminal justice, and he was hoping to one day go into forensics.

Magnolia and Jose Bandera showed up next, their toddler son Charlie in tow. He had reached the age where he remembered people, and he reached out for Anastasia when she answered the door.

The three were living in an apartment in Vermont, near the New York border. Jose had gotten a job in advertising, because after all his adventures, he knew what would entice the public's attention. Maggie had started running a home daycare center. She had five regular kids and two more on occasion, but the job brought in enough money to help support her, her husband, and her son.

Reagan and Ricky were the last to arrive, within two minutes of one another even though they hadn't come together. They stood on the stoop together after exchanging awkward hellos and rang the doorbell. Anastasia came and welcomed them to her home.

In the past six months or so, Ricky had been working at a gym, teaching mentally handicapped children how to play basketball. It was a lousy-paying job, but he made enough to pay the rent for his tiny Albany apartment and that was what mattered.

Reagan had enjoying working in the law field during her stay in Manhattan that she was still working there as a secretary. She was good at what she did, and they had raised her pay so she could afford the small flat in Manhattan. It had also helped her meet her new boyfriend and future fiance, who was a young lawyer just getting started at the firm.

Once they had all gathered in the living room, it was cramped and more than a little awkward. After all they had shared together, it was weird that they no longer saw one another every day. It was also strange that the people they had fallen in love with so long ago were not necessarily the people they were in a relationship with now.

The awkwardness of the afternoon faded as Stanley announced lunch was ready and they all crowded out onto the patio to eat at the picnic tables set up there. It was a happy and jovial crowd gathered in the tiny backyard that afternoon.

They were just finishing up their homemade vanilla ice cream when Serendipity scrunched up her face in discomfort. Maggie was on her feet immediately, leaving Jose to help Charlie eat a hot dog.

"Are you okay?" She asked, kneeling beside Serendipity's chair. "Are you going into labor?"

The blonde shook her head, closing her eyes briefly. "It's just those stupid Braxton-Hicks contractions. I've been having them for weeks."

"Where does it hurt?" Maggie asked seriously.

Serendipity thought for a moment. "It's starting at the top of my abdomen and goes down."

Her best friend shook her head. "Those aren't false labor contractions, Serene. Those are the real things. We need to get you to the hospital right away."

"I can't! I'm registered at the hospital at Trenton!" Serendipity exclaimed, her face paling at the thought of having her baby in a strange hospital with a strange doctor. "I need to get back to Trenton!"

Magnolia glanced at Alan briefly, then said, "We need to get on board the very next train back to Trenton. I mean NOW."

There was a rush as everyone scrambled to pack up their things and clean up the mess they had made at the Yelnats home. Then they all piled into whatever cars were there, plus a taxi or two, and drove to the train station.

It took a couple hours for them to reach Trenton (AN. Okay, I have no idea how long it takes to get from Vermont or wherever to Trenton, New Jersey, so don't flip out if that's completely wrong. Really. I'm too lazy to go look it up just now.) They had taxis take them straight to the hospital, while Alan swung by their apartment to get the hospital bag his wife had packed.

The rather large group went to the emergency room first, where they acquired a wheelchair. The nurse on duty at the front desk directed them to the third floor, which was the maternity floor.

They were directed to OB admitting straight away. (AN. I actually volunteer in OB admitting at my hospital, so I actually know about this stuff now!) The receptionist was wearing scrubs and was in the process of checking a patient out. She took one look at Serendipity and asked the other patient to wait for a moment.

Because Serendipity was already pre-registered, all she had to do was tell the receptionist her name and that she was in labor. Then the nurse took her back to Triage room three. Only one person was allowed back in Triage (tree- age as in mirage), and since Alan wasn't back from the apartment yet, Magnolia went back with her.

The nurse had her pee in a cup and she examined her cervix to see how far she was dilated. Then she was moved almost immediately into a labor and delivery room, which was so nice it was verging on a hotel room.

Anastasia and Magnolia remained in the room until Alan got there, and then they slipped out to join the others. It was a fairly long birth, but there were no complications. The baby, which was a girl, was born at 1:03 AM and weighed eight pounds and three ounces.

After the nurses had cleaned the baby up and Serendipity had nursed her daughter for the first time, the others filed in to have a look at the newest addition to their little clan.

"She's beautiful." Jaidyn, who had decided she was never going to have children so she could prolong her modeling career, beamed. "What did you decide to name her?"

"Holly Marie." Serendipity answered, gazing down at her daughter's face lovingly.

Magnolia smiled broadly, resting a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "You guys are going to be really happy."

Her best friend smiled. "I know."

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Okay, I know it was sort of a crappy way to end it, I just felt bad leaving it open like that. I've just been sooo busy recently I haven't had time to really do anything on I really hate leaving my stories open-ended, but whatever. I hope you guys liked this final chappie. I'm going to try and finish my others sometime within the next week if I can. I have a little time off. I've got plans all weekend, but I don't work until Tuesday of next week, so hopefully on Monday I can get in some quality writing time. I've got some ideas for my other stories, I just haven't had the time to finish them! Grrr. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think of the story as a whole, as well as this chapter.

I wrote this story chapter by chapter, as I'm sure you can tell if you've been reading it, so I didn't really go back and revise much. Since I first posted the entire story, I've gone through and rewritten it all so it's actually a fairly well-written story now lol. Too bad it's still crappy and whatever on here. Anyways, just let me know what everyone thinks, please, and thank you so much for sticking through this with me. Drop me a line sometime if you want to chat! I'll more than likely answer it: )


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